Marzi Pan
by Draka Dracula
Summary: What happens when Peter Pan (Disney's) becomes the guardian of a tiny girl?
1. Little Girl Lost

Marzi Pan 

By: Jo Ann/Draka Dracula/Petra Pan 

What happens when Peter Pan finds himself the guardian of a tiny girl?

* * *

Chapter 1: Little Girl Lost

"That was some storm, huh, Petra?" Peter Pan asked his twin sister. The two Pans were flying along the shoreline of Neverland, inspecting the damage caused by the storm that had hit the magical island the night before.

"Yeah," the girl beside him answered. "I don't suppose _you_ got any sleep last night?"

"I tried," he replied. "Things are boring when you can't get out of the house."

"Tell me about it," Petra sighed. "For future reference, how about if I save my stories of my world travels for times like that?"

"Fine with me, but we don't get many storms around here. It may be a long time between tellings, and without a mother to tell us stories, even games can get boring."

"Hmmm...so, I'm sorta stuck telling the stories, aren't I?"

"Yep!" Peter grinned.

"I was afraid of that..." Petra muttered. Peter gave a little laugh.

"Hey!" he cried, pointing to a part of the beach that was coming up. "What's that?"

"It looks like someone's been washed up on the beach," Petra replied. They had been getting closer to the spot, and the fact that the object looked like a person was becoming more evident by the second.

"It _is_ someone!" he answered. "Come on! Let's see if we can help!"

When the twins got to the person, they found it was a very small girl, even younger than little Micheal or Danny, when Peter first met _them_. She had blonde --almost white-- hair, and blue eyes. She wore little green pajamas that made Peter think of Danny.

Right now, she was sitting on the sandy beach and crying. Her little face was red with all the crying she had done already, and the front of her clothes were wet.

Peter knew that the first thing to do was to let her know that she was not alone. And to do that, he had to make himself heard above the crying. For that, he took out his panpipes and began playing a gentle little tune.

The music drifted to the tiny girl's ears, and the strange but pretty sound caused her to stop crying so that she could listen to it. For a long time, there was nothing but the music, soothing and gentle. By the time the song was over, the girl had stopped crying, although she still sniffed a little.

"Hello," Peter smiled gently. "My name is Peter Pan. This is my twin sister, Petra. Are you alright?" When the child screwed up her little face to start crying again, Peter added quickly, "Hey, don't cry! It'll be okay." He held his arms out to the child.

The little girl gazed at the boy. He was bigger than she was --much bigger. He had red hair and brown eyes, and was dressed all in green. A bright red feather was stuck in a green hat.

The girl next to Peter was also red-haired and brown-eyed, and she, too, wore all green. Instead of a hat, she wore a green headband, from which a bright pink feather hung downward.

Completely trusting the boy and his sister, the little girl threw herself into Peter's arms. Peter wrapped his arms around her, holding her close and trying to comfort her.

"What's your name?" Peter asked. "Can you tell me your name?" The tiny child only shook her head, "no".

The child was very frightened. The storm had possibliy killed her parents, her family. She was without the people she loved the most. She would need a _new_ family.

"Then I'll give you a _new_ name!" Peter declared. "And a sweet little girl deserves a sweet name. How about...hmm...Marzi Pan!"

"That sounds like a very nice name!" Petra smiled. "Do you like it?" she asked the child. The small girl nodded, and gave Peter a very big hug.

"Marzi Pan, it is, then!" Peter grinned. "Welcome to Neverland, Marzi Pan!"

*~*~*

Meeting Peter Pan and his sister is one thing. Meeting the Lost Boys...well, that is another story.

"**_A GIRL_**?!" the boys all exclaimed. They stared at Marzi.

"Yeah," Peter said. "A girl. What's wrong with that? Wendy was a girl. Jane was a girl. Petra's a girl. You didn't find a problem with _them_, did you?"

"Uh...no...'course not..." the boys stammered. They knew better than to make their leader mad.

"And if _I_ say she stays, she stays!" Peter concluded. "So, welcome Marzi as the newest Lost Girl."

"Uh...Hi, Marzi...Welcome to Neverland..."

Marzi clung to Peter, a thumb in her mouth, hiding shyly on his shoulder.

"Hey, now," he whispered gently. "Aren't you going to say 'Hi' to the Lost Boys?" Marzi just laid her head on Peter's shoulder.

"She looks sleepy," Petra commented. "Maybe she sould take a nap, or something."

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "I'll put her in my room. It'll be nice and quiet for her, there."

"You may have to stay with her, Peter," Nibs said. "I don't think she's going to let go of you anytime soon."

"Yeah..." Peter could not help but smile. She was so very tiny! He carried her to his private quarters, where he tried to, first, lay her in the hamock. She did not like that, so he tried to lay her down on the bed. She just would not let go of him. In the end, he had to lay down beside her, watching over Marzi while she slept.

_Do you know what you need, Marzi?_ he tought. _A mother. I need to go and find you --and us-- a mother. And I need you to stay here with Petra and the Lost Boys while I do._

Tinker Bell sped into the room, having heard from Petra and the boys about the new girl. She came in jingling angerly.

"Shhh...Tink!" Peter shushed her. "She's asleep!"

Tink took one look at Marzi, and her heart melted. Such a small girl. Peter was sure to see her as a little sister. The pixie smiled as she gazed at her.

_Wait 'til Tink finds out that I plan to bring back a mother!_ Peter thought to himself. _But Marzi needs one, and so do the boys. And Petra._

_And me._

* * *

In Chapter 2: A Mother for Marzi, Peter goes on a quest to find a mother for the little girl, as well as for the rest of them. But in time when few little girls dream of motherhood, can even Peter find the right mother for them all?


	2. A Mother for Marzi

Chapter 2: A Mother for Marzi

Peter sat crosslegged on the ground, using a mortar and pestal that he had borrowed from the Indians to mash the bananas into something Marzi could eat. She was barely older than a baby, and was only up to semi-solid foods. Much of what was given to her had to be mashed up or crushed before it could be fed to her.

And it was almost _never_ easy. Peter's hands became blistered, brused, and cut as he worked the slim, stone hammer in the stone bowl. If it was not for Dusty's Healing Dust, Peter would not have delayed in finding a mother for them until Marzi was so used to Petra that he could leave without worrying about the child.

Peter stopped long enough to glance at Petra and Marzi. The child sat on Petra's lap, facing her, and playing a game of Peek-A-Boo with the Lost Girl. Peter could not help but grin at the sight. Little Marzi had grown accustomed to his sister very quickly. Prehaps tomorrow --or even _today_-- he could carry out his plan to bring back a mother for all of them.

The banana mash was finished, so Peter poured the fruit paste into another bowl and added some milk, mixing it up so that the mash was super-soft, just right for feeding a baby. That done, the eternal boy floated up and moved to sit next to Petra.

As soon as Marzi saw Peter, she reached for him. He smiled, then offered her some of the banana mash on a spoon. Eagerly, the baby accepted the offered food. Gently, with Petra holding her, Peter fed Marzi.

Nibs and the Lost Boys looked on in wonder. Who would have thought that their leader would be feeding a baby her food with a spoon? Should not a _mother_ be doing that?

But Peter did not seem to mind. He knew that Marzi had to eat, and that the solid foods that the boys ate would not do for the little girl. Coming up with food that she _could_ eat was a real challenge, and had even become a game for Peter. Feeding her the food could be quite an adventure, as well, because if the food was something new, there was a chance that Marzi would not like it, and refuse to eat it. This happened most when Peter would mix fruit together.

Soon, the baby had ate all she wanted of the banana mash, and pushed the spoon away.

"All full, now?" Peter asked. She answered by reaching for him again. He put the bowl aside, then let her come into his arms. Petra pantomined something to him, holding her arms up to her shoulder, as if holding a baby, and patting it on the back. Peter had done this often, and was a little annoyed at Petra for thinking that she had to remind him to burp the baby. Glowering at her, Peter did just that.

"I'm going to have to go and find a mother for her...us...soon," Peter said. "I can't put it off any longer."

Tinker Bell was alarmed at this news. Another girl? Like Wendy, and Jane? But the little pixie girl had found out early that her jealousy was not as strong as it once was, mainly due in part to the presence of Dusty, Petra's _boy_ fairy companion. This often made her wonder what was going on with her feelings.

"Sorry, Tink," Peter replied to her angry jinggling. "But we do need a mother. I delayed finding one because I wanted to make sure Marzi would be comfortable with Petra and the boys while I'm away. But I've got to go, now." He handed Marzi to Petra and stood up, ready to fly. "Don't worry. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Dusty flew up to him, a pouch in his hands. It was heavy for the small pixie, for to him the pouch was as huge as Santa Claus' sack of toys. Peter quickly took the pouch from Dusty.

"Healing Dust," the healer fairy told him. "Just in case..."

"Okay, Dusty," Peter smiled. He did not think he would need it, but, you never really knew. The boy tied the pouch to his belt. "See you later," Peter smiled, then flew off, Tink right behind him.

*~*~*

Amy Rhines sighed. Another day, another stack of homework. And she had to get groceries for her father and herself. Between seeing about her household chores and her schoolwork, it was a miracle if she ever got any time to herself.

Amy's homelife was not like most kids her age. While most twelve-year olds were playing a sports, going shopping at the mall, or just hanging around with friends, Amy had to keep house and buy food for the two of them. Her father was on disability, but blew a lot of the money on gambling and alcohol, and was almost always drunk. Amy wondered if he even _knew_ he had a daughter.

As for Amy, she had a three day a week babysitting job, earning about fifty dollars a week. Not much to live on, but they managed.

Her father was not home yet. Good. That meant that she could go and get the groceries --what little that was of it-- right now. She had an arrangement with the grocer: She would be allowed to use a shopping cart to carry the food home, as long as someone walked with her and brought it back. This arrangement worked very well, especailly since she did not have a car.

*~*~*

Amy flopped onto her bed, all the day's work done. She had even time to get her homework done early. Now, she just laid on the bed, tired out from all the work she had to do. Luckily, this was not a baby-sitting night.

Tiger --short for Golden Tiger-- lept up onto the bed, and curled up next to her. Amy looked over to her kitten, and smiled tiredly.

"You've got it made, don't you, Tiger?" she said. "Three meals a day, and nothing is expected of you, except maybe chasing mice." She reached over and scratched the cat behind the ears. "I just wish..."

*~*~*

Peter and Tinker Bell flew all over the world that night, searching for the right girl to become the Lost Boys' new mother. There were not many girls in this new time that wanted to be mothers. They wanted to be everything from pilots to movie and music stars to even soldiers. Finding someone that wanted to be a mother was getting increasingly more difficult each time he went to the "real world".

He was about to turn around and return to Neverland --as Tink was bugging him to do-- when he found an old house that looked like it had seen better days. On a hunch, Peter flew down to the only window that had a light coming from it, a window on the second floor.

When Peter peeked into the room, he saw a girl of about twelve laying on a bed, petting a golden-colored striped cat. Her skin was tan, and her hair was golden-blond, with light-blond streaks running through it. She wore her hair in a side ponytail, held by a whimsical fairy-hair tie. She wore shorts, cloth shoes, a short-sleeved tank top, and a vest.

Peter and Tink had arrived just in time to hear the girl say, "I just wish someone would come and take me away from all this! Oh, I don't mind the work, and the babysitting is not so bad, but sometimes I think it's _Dad_ that needs to grow up!"

_She's the one!_ Peter thought happily. They had found the mother they were looking for! Now, they just had to get in and get her to come to Neverland...

Peter gently tapped on the window. When the girl looked up, he gave her what he hoped was a friendly smile.

Amy's eyes openned wide in fright. What was a strange boy doing looking at her through her window, especially when the window was on the second floor, and there was no tree or any other way for anyone to get up there on?

One window pane was broken, covered with a thick piece of cardboard stuck on with duct tape. Amy removed this piece of cardboard so that she could communicate with the boy.

"Who are you?" was the first thing she asked.

"Peter Pan," he answered. "May I come in? I won't hurt you. I just want to talk."

"We can talk just fine like this," she answered. She searched her mind for the stories she had heard about a boy named "Peter Pan". A boy that would never grow up, an eternal child always on the lookout for a mother, for himself _and_ his friends, the Lost Boys. There were even rumors of an eternal _girl_, Peter's twin sister.

"What do you want?" she asked him.

"To grant you your wish," he answered. "You wanted someone to come and take you away from here? Well, I'm the one to do it! I can take you to Neverland!"

"How?" She looked at him, suddenly interested.

"Teach you to fly, of course!" he smiled, sitting crosslegged in the air. "But you gotta _wanna_ come! I can't take you if you don't wanna go."

"Wellll..." Amy seemed to be thinking about it. Maybe if she did leave, her father would learn to do for himself again.

Finally, she openned the window. Grinning, Peter flew in, followed by Tinker Bell.

"I'd like to take a few things with me, if I may," she said.

"Sure," he agreed. "Anything you can carry." He watched as Amy loaded up a pink backpack with all kinds of things. When she was done, she put the pack on, then picked up Tiger.

"Would it be okay if we take Tiger?" she asked. "I'm afraid of what might happen to him if Dad finds me gone."

"Okay," Peter smiled. Anything to make the new mother happy. He reached over and let the kitten sniff his hand. Tiger licked the fingers of the boy's hand, wondering who this new person was. Whoever he was, the boy was friendly.

"Ready to go?" Peter asked.

"Yes," Amy replied, holding Tiger close to her.

"Okay, Tink; Pixie dust time!"

Tinker Bell flew around Amy, covering her and the cat with the shimmering, golden dust.

"Now," Peter instructed. "Think any wonderful thought."

Closing her eyes, Amy thought about the warm, wiggling kitten in her arms. Instantly, she lifted up into the air.

"Come on," Peter grinned. "Off to Neverland!" Flying out the window, Peter and Tink led Amy out into the night.

As they flew over the city, Peter asked Amy where her mother was. Amy saddened, and pointed below. The sudden sad thought made Amy begin to sink toward the ground, so she immediantly thought of Tiger again, and that lifted her back up.

But Peter did not pry any further. He did not have to. Even _he_ felt Amy's saddness when she had pointed toward the ground below them, for he was, at heart, a kind, gentle boy.

For what Amy had pointed to in reponse to his question was the city graveyard.

* * *

In Chapter 3: Amy's Kids, Amy meets Petra, Marzi, and the Lost Boys, and begins her role as their new mother. Meanwhile, Captain Hook (What? You didn't think I forgot about him, did you? :) ) finds out about the new mother. What will he do about her?


	3. Amy's Kids

Chapter 3: Amy's Kids

As they approached Neverland, Peter decided to take Amy by a different route. He did not want to chance Captain Hook finding out about the new mother --at least, not so soon. The old codfish tended to attempt to either do away with, or charm the mothers Peter brought home, and Peter did not want to take the chance of that happening again.

"I should warn you about Captain Hook," Peter had told her as they flew toward the second star to the right. "He'll try to charm you away, making promices, then finding a way around them. He can't be trusted. Twice he's promiced not to harm me --once to Tink, and once to Jane-- and both times he found a way to keep the promice and _still_ try to kill me."

"I kinda figured that," Amy answered. "My grandmother used to tell stories about you, and she _always_ stressed what a villian Hook was. Don't worry; I won't let him trick me into anything."

"Good," Peter smiled. For a long time, they flew in silence, each lost in his or her own thoughts.

"Owwch!" Amy suddenly cried.

"What is it?" Peter asked, turning toward her. "What's wrong?"

"Tiger's clawing me. I don't think he likes flying. He's certainly not _used_ to it."

Peter frowned, then dipped his hand into the pouch of Healing Dust that Dusty gave him. While the dust worked better when mixed with water, small doses of the glittering powder would also do in a pinch. Peter was about to apply the dust, when something made him stop. He blushed when he thought of where he was about to rub the dust: Right on her chest!

"Uhh...if you let me hold Tiger, you can put this on the scratches. It's Healing Dust, made by a pixie named Dusty. It'll heal the scratches up in no time." Peter gulped and blushed again.

Amy handed him Tiger, while he gave her the dust. Turning around so that she could have some privacy applying the dust to her scratches, Peter kept himself occupied by playing with the kitten.

Tiger found himself in the hands of the boy he had met earlier. And he was _still_ uncomfortibly high up in the sky. Tiger tried to scratch Peter in an attempt to remedy the situation. But Peter held him, carefully but firmly. When Tiger found that he could not scratch the boy, he looked up into Peter's chocolate-brown eyes and uttered a tiny "mew".

"Tiger's not giving you any trouble, is he?" Amy asked.

"No," Peter answered. "He's okay. Just scared. But we should be in Neverland soon. It won't be long until he's on solid ground again."

"Okay. I'm done, now. Let's continue on."

Peter turned around, and noticed that Amy had spread the glittering dust not only on her wounds, but a little past the neckline of her tank top. The dust gave her a sparkling, almost angelic look.

"Uhh...Oh!" Peter gave her back Tiger. "He might be more comfortable with you than with me."

"Thanks," Amy smiled, taking the kitten back into her hands. They continued to fly until they came upon Neverland.

Amy followed Peter to an old, gnarled tree with a rope in a hangman's noose hanging from it. She shuddered at the sight, the tree and the noose together giving her a creepy feeling. But she did not have time to worry about it, as Peter entered a hole in the top. Amy followed Peter into the hole.

She slid down a slide, then bounced on a fur-covered bed, finally ending up sprawled on the bed. Peter was standing next to the bed.

"Petra; Lost Boys; FALL IN!" Peter commanded. Instantly, a girl dressed in clothes simular to Peter's, and boys of different shapes and sizes, dressed in: A fox's skin; a rabbit's pelt; raccoon skins (there were _two_ of these!); a bear's skin; and a skunk's pelt appeared in a line before them, all saluting their leader. Peter saluted them back. "Sound off!" he commanded.

"Petra Pan!"

"Slightly!"

"Nibs!"

"The Twins!"

"Cubby!"

"And he's Toodles!" Slightly added, pointing at the boy in the skunk pelt.

"Everyone," Peter said, "this is Amy Rhines. She' going to be our new mother."

The boys rushed over to Amy, only to be confronted by a small, golden striped little animal.

"And that's Golden Tiger," Peter smiled. "Amy's cat."

Causiously, the boys approached Amy and her kitten, each attempting to get a closer look at the little furball. Tiger sniffed and licked their fingers when the reached over to pet him. These boys were like the other one, and the kitten "mewed" its acceptance. Then, seeing that he was once more on solid ground, Tiger lept out of Amy's arms and began exploring the underground home.

A squall from Peter's room attacted their attention. Petra ran into the room, then reemerged moments later with a small, blonde-haired girl.

"I've been trying to get her to sleep," Petra explained. "She's been like this ever since she found out that you weren't here." She handed the child to Peter.

"And this little lady is Marzi Pan," Peter smiled at Amy. As soon as the baby realized who held her, she quieted down.

"Hello, there, Marzi," Amy smiled as she spoke to the little girl. "My name is Amy." Marzi just stuck her thumb in her mouth and clung closer to Peter, not sure of what to make of the new girl.

"I guess she's not as used to me as we thought," Petra said to Peter.

"Well, she'll have plenty of time to get used to _everybody_, now," Peter answered.

"Let's see about fixing something to eat," Amy said. "You all look like you're hungry."

The Lost Boys' faces lit up when they heard that, giving her vigorious nods of their heads in anticipation.

"Alright," she replied. "But first, I need a place to work, and some food to work with."

At that, the boys were outside and running around the island, searching for anything Amy could use to make their dinner. Meanwhile, Petra helped Amy set up an area for a kitchen. By the time the boys had returned, they had everything set up and looking like a decent kitchen. Well, an _old-fashioned_ kitchen.

After a meal of broiled fish, nuts, and fruit, the children settled down for a bedtime story. Amy sat in front of them, Peter with Marzi on one side of their new mother, Petra on the other.

"I'm sure you all know the story of _Cinderella_," Amy began. Peter and the Lost Boys nodded. "But did you know that there are more than _one_ story about Cinderella?" Here, the boys shook their heads, each wondering what Amy was talking about.

"Well, this version comes from ancient Egypt, and is a least five thousand years older than _Cinderella_." The childern gasped. They did not _know_ there was stories older than the ones they already knew. They all fixed their eyes upon Amy, waiting for her to begin the story.

* * *

Next: Chapter 4: The Rose Slipper. Amy tells the story of the Cinderella of ancient Egypt.


	4. The Rose Slipper

Chapter 4: The Rose Slipper

"Well," Amy began, "five thousand years ago, in the land of Egypt, there was a wealthy merchant. He had a large house, many servents, and lots of gold and jewels. But he had no children of his own, his wife having died several years before."

"Ooohhh..." the children reacted in sympathy.

"One day, the merchant decided to go to the marketplace and see what there was to buy. Now, you must know that, in those days, servants or slaves was bought and sold very often in market places. So it was on this day, when the merchant arrived.

"As he watched the slaves being sold, the merchant saw a very beautiful girl being brought up to the block. He thought that she must be the most beautiful woman in the world. So entranced by this vision of lovelyness was the merchant, that he bought her there and then."

"Just like that?" Peter asked. "Didn't _she_ have any choice?" He hated slavery in _any_ form, although he did not know why. He had no experience to base his opinion on. Or did he?

"No, I'm afraid she didn't, Peter," Amy answered. "But, the merchant was a very kind man, too. He took the girl to his house, where he learned that her name was Nitokris. The merchant treated the girl like his own daughter, giving her little to do for work. And what work she _did_ do was very easy and light, so that Nitokris had most of the day to herself. He gave her a room of her own, and her own servants and handmaidians, and many gifts.

"One of her most treasured of these gifts was a pair of rose-colored fur slippers. She wore them everyday, and was very careful with them whenever she took them off.

"Nitokris loved to go bathing every day in the Nile river, and she and her handmaidians could be found there often. Always, the rose slippers would be set carefully with her clothes, so that she always knew where they were.

"One day, while she and her servants were bathing, an eagle swooped down and snatched one of the slippers from where it was. The girls chased after it, trying to get the slipper back, but they could not, and the eagle got away.

"Nitokris was so very upset about losing the slipper. The merchant tried to comfort her, offering to replace the slipper with another, but she wanted the one that she lost. She was so sad that she stayed in her rooms, crying."

"Awww..." Cubby sniffed. "Poor, Nit-o-kr...kr..kris!" He felt so sorry for the girl in the story that he began to sob loudly. Nibs, annoyed with the noise and wanting to hear the rest of the story, grabbed Cubby's club and stuck it in the bear-clad boy's mouth. Cubby's sobbing stopped, and he blinked a couple of times before removing the club and settling down for the rest of the story.

"Meanwhile, the eagle flew on, until it finally reached the capital city of Memphis. It flew into the palace of the Pharaoh --or Egyptian king-- and dropped the slipper onto the king's lap.

"It should be noted that the eagle was the symbol of the Egyptian god, Ra, the ruler of the gods and goddesses of Egypt. To many, this would be the sign of something special about to happen.

"The Pharaoh was very moved by this dainty little slipper, and had the royal scribe to go around the land and try the slipper on every lady he could find, because the king decreed that he would wed no one but the maidian that could wear that slipper.

"What's a scribe?" Nibs asked.

"A scribe was someone who knew how to read and write. In ancient Egypt, not many knew how to read or write except for priests and maybe some royalty. So a scribe was a very important job in ancient times.

"Ooohhh..." the boys replied in understanding.

"One day, the scribe arrived at the house of the merchant. He tried the slipper on every female he found, but none fit. He asked the merchant if there was anyone else in the house, and the merchant said yes, there was one more; a girl named Nitokris. The scribe had the merchant to bring her out of her room. When she came before him, the scribe tried the slipper on her. And, of course --being hers-- it fit. She even brought out the other slipper and put it on. The scribe knew that he had found the girl for his king.

"The scribe brought the merchant and Nitokris before the king, where the king asked the girl to marry him. She accepted, and the wedding was prepared. The merchant was both sad and happy. Sad, because he was losing his beloved little Nitokris, and happy, because she was going to be queen, and live happily ever after with her Pharaoh. The End."

"Wow!" Slightly exclaimed. "That was a great story!"

"Oh, I have a _lot_ of stories," Amy smiled. "Most, I bet you've never heard before. But it's time for bed, now. I'll tell you another story tomorrow night."

"Aaaawwww..." the boys complained, but it got no further than that. Peter gave them a stern look. If their new mother said it was time for bed, then it was time for bed, and they had _better_ get into bed. The Lost Boys scrambled for the large bed in the middle of the room.

Amy gently tucked every one of the boys into bed, giving them each a kiss good-night. Then, she turned to Peter, Petra, and Marzi.

"Where do you three sleep?" she asked.

"I have a room of my own," Petra said. "So I'll go to bed, now. 'Night --uh-- Mom."

"'Night, Petra," Amy smiled as the girl Pan went behind a white bear-skin curtain.

"And I have my own room, too," Peter smiled. "I've been sleeping with Marzi because she won't sleep alone. There's a bed _and_ a hammock in my room. Sometime I feel like sleeping in a hammock, sometimes I feel like sleeping in a bed."

"Well, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" she asked.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. They went into his room, as if being _in_ the room might help them figure something out.

"I could always sleep in the hammock," Peter offered, "while you and Marzi can have the bed. But Marzi doesn't like to sleep with anyone _but_ me. We've tried it with Petra and the boys. It didn't work. She always started crying, and wouldn't stop until I took her."

"Hmmm...that's a problem," Amy thought aloud. "She _must_ learn that she is safe with _any_ of us, not with just you." She thought for a moment. "Tink may not like this, but it should only be temporary, a week at the most. But if it will help..." She looked up at Peter. "Peter, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but we need for all _three_ of us to sleep in the bed. You on one side, me on the other, and Marzi in the middle."

"WHAT?!?" Peter exclaimed in shock. Sleep in the same bed with a _**GIRL**_?!?

"Well, only until she learns that I'm safe," Amy replied. "And we won't be _next_ to each other. Marzi will be right between us. We can try it all night for a couple of nights, then gradually have you sleep only a few hours in the bed at night, and the rest of the time in the hammock. Gradually, you'll be in the hammock and Marzi and I will be in the bed all night. Besides, you won't be leaving her completely alone with me. She'll be able to see you in your hammock from the bed."

"Well..." Peter was not so sure about the arrangement. Not only would Tink throw a fit when she found out about it, but also, was that not the way married _grown-ups_ slept? Still, if it would help Marzi...

"Okay," he agreed. "But _just_ until she learns that she's safe with you."

Smiling, Amy climbed into one side of the bed. Gently, Peter laid Marzi next to Amy, and tentively climbed in on the other side. Amy and Marzi snuggled in to sleep, but Peter could not get any rest. He stared up at the roof of the cave, one thought going through his mind.

_What in Neverland am I doing?_

* * *

Next: Chapter 5: A Day With Amy. In an attempt to familierize Marzi with herself and everyone else, Amy takes the children on a picnic, where they learn that they can play gentle games with the tiny girl, and _still_ have fun.


	5. A Day With Amy

Disclaimer: Yeah, I know. This should be on the first page, but this story was orginally on my Peter Pan Room ezboard forum, and I never put the disclaimer there, either. Anyway, here it is: Peter Pan and related characters do not belong to me (I _wish_!), but the concept of Petra Pan, Peter's twin sister, does. I also own Dusty --Petra's pixie--, Amy Rhimes, Golden Tiger, and Marzi Pan. Marzi Pan is a pun on marzipan, the sweet.

Chapter 5: A Day With Amy

Peter, Petra, and the Lost Boys awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. Peter carried Marzi, who had been left with him in the bed, into the main room of the Underground House.

The table was filled with food for breakfast: Eggs, pancakes and syrup, bacon, sausage, toast and jam, milk, orange juice, fruit, etc. Everything the boys would want to eat to start the day. Near Peter's chair, in a small bowl, was some berry mush for Marzi.

"Good morning!" Amy greeted her new family. "Breakfast is ready, if you would all like to come and sit down at the table. Peter, would you be a dear and feed Marzi, please? Thanks."

"Sure," he replied. Peter sat in his chair, the baby on his lap, and began to feed the mixture to Marzi. The Lost Boys, meanwhile, piled up to the table, and began filling their plates with food, sometimes fighting over a particularly large pancake, or a choice piece of bacon or sausage.

"WHOA!" Amy yelled to get their attention. The boys stopped in mid-tussle to look at her. "How about some manners and organization, here?"

"'Or..gan...iza...tion...?" Cubby asked, drawing out the unfimular word.

"That means, let's at least make our _meal_ neat and tidy," she smiled. With a little encouragement from Amy, the boys actually had a fairly quiet breakfast.

Since he was feeding Marzi, Amy fixed Peter a plate for his breakfast. She set it in front of him, then poured him some milk and orange juice.

"Eat up, everyone," Amy smiled. "Today's going to be a full day!"

"Why?" Peter asked, pausing for a moment in his feeding of Marzi to take a bite of his own food.

"I'm thinking of taking everyone on a picnic today. Just a day together to get to know one another. And, hopefully, have some fun with little Marzi, there." She nodded toward the little girl. "I have a few things we can do, and include _her_ in on the fun."

"Sounds great!" Peter grinned. Petra slipped into her chair next to her brother and filled herself a plate. Behind her came Tink and Dusty, who sat at a smaller table set up in the middle of the bigger table. They got small plates and cups for themselves.

Suddenly, a small ball of fur lept onto the table and began to nibble on a piece of sausage, then turned to lap up some spilled milk on the table.

"Tiger!" Amy laughed. The kitten looked up at the gathered children and let out with a tiny, "Mew!" before going back to his meal.

*~*~*

After breakfast, Amy organized the kids into helping clean up the dining area. They, she and Petra packed the picnic lunch. Before they were ready to leave, Amy grabbed her backpack and put it on.

"Do you know a good spot for a picnic, Peter?" Amy asked. "It should be in a nice, cool spot, but with enough space to play."

"I think I know of a place," the eternal boy smiled. "Just follow me." Lifting into the air, Peter flew out of the house. Moments later, his small band was following him.

It was not long before he pointed out a nice meadow below them. A small woods lined one edge of the meadow, with a tiny creek running through it. Under the trees, near the creek, it would be nice and cool for their mid-day meal, while the meadow would provide the space they needed for active play. Course, Amy planned for Marzi to have some time for playing with her new brothers, and the small picnic spot would enough room for that.

"That looks wonderful, Peter!" Amy cried. "Let's go down and set the cloth up. It's not time for lunch, yet, so you guys can play for awhile. After lunch, we'll have some time to play with Marzi."

With a cheer, the boys dived down and landed in the meadow and immediantly started up a game of Red Rover. Peter, Petra, Amy, and the pixies flew to their choosen spot, landing gently on the ground near a big oak tree. Amy spread the cloth and sat down. Peter then handed her Marzi.

The baby squirmed in Amy's arms, trying to reach out to for Peter to take her back. The boy looked uncertainly back at Amy. It was taking a long time for Marzi to get to know Amy, much less, Petra and the Lost Boys. Would leaving her with Amy and Petra now be a good idea?

"Go on," Amy urged. "She needs to know that, even if you leave, you'll come back. When she learns that, she will learn to be comfortable around the rest of us. Right now, she has been with you so much, she only feels safe with you. The only way to change that, is for you to be _away_ from her for awhile, then return. That will show her that when you leave, you will always come back. That will reassure her that you won't ever leave her."

"Okay," Peter agreed, but still uncertain. "I'll be right back, Marzi. I promice." He gave the baby a little kiss on the cheek, then left to play with the Lost Boys. A scream from Marzi followed him, but he ignored it. He hated to. He wanted to go back and comfort the baby. But if Amy said it would help break Marzi of clinging to him, Peter knew he had to go along with it. So he joined the boys in their game.

"Shhh...don't cry, don't cry, shhh..." Amy was rocking the baby in her arms.

"Do you have a musical instrument that you can play?" Petra asked. "If you don't, _I_ do..." The eternal girl prepared to pull out her own set of panpipes.

"I've got a little something," Amy answered. Handing Marzi to Petra, the girl rumaged through the little backpack. From somewhere in its depths, Amy brought out a strange object that looked a lot like a sweet potato with holes.

"It's called an 'Ocarina'," Amy explained. "I learned a few pieces of music playing a video game." With that, she put the instrument to her lips and began to play several pieces of music. First, she played "Zelda's Lullaby", then played "Epona's Song". Next came, "Sun's Song", then "Saria's Song". These were followed by "Song of Time", and the "Song of Storms". "Minuet of Woods", "Bolero of Fire", "Serenade of Water", "Nocturne of Shadow", "Prelude to Light", and "Requiem of Spirit" rounded out the list of music she played. By the time she was finished, Marzi was silent, watching the girl in fastination. Petra also stared in quiet awe in the music.

Peter and the boys had heard Amy playing, and had stopped their game to listen. Each stared open-mouthed as Amy played the beautiful music on the odd-looking instrument. When she stopped, no one moved a muscle.

"Well," Amy said, breaking the silence, "I certainly never expected an audience!"

This snapped everyone out of their trance. They looked at each other and blushed, embarressed at their reaction to Amy's concert. Each looked back at the girls, giving them embarressed smiles.

"Where did you learn to play music like that?" Peter asked.

"_The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time_ video game," Amy answered. "I liked the music so much, I bought a _real_ ocarina and learned to play the music from the game."

"Can this music be adapted to be played on panpipes?" Petra asked. She held out her own seven-reed instrument.

"It could," Amy said. "But it will take some time, and practice. We can work on it later, though. Time to eat!"

The boys' faces lit up at that news. They helped her set out the food for the picnic, then began to chow down. For the first time, Marzi let someone else, other than Peter, feed her. Amy gently spooned some banana mush into the baby's mouth. Amy's plan seemed to be working. The boys and Petra also took turns feeding Marzi, turning it into another game. A game the tiny girl seemed to like!

After the meal, Amy rumaged through her backpack again, and brought out a large bottle of bubbles. She had Nibs to clean a plate in the creek, then bring it back to her. She asked Slightly to cut some reed straws, one for each of them. Meanwhile, the rest of the food and dinnerware was cleared away, leaving only the picnic cloth on the ground.

When Nibs and Slightly returned with the plate and the reeds, Amy poured some of the bubble liquid into the plate. She then showed them how to blow bubbles with the straws. For herself, she chose the wand that came with the bubbles. She dipped it into the bubbles on the plate and brought the loop of the wand near her mouth. Pursing her lips as if giving a kiss, Amy blew gently into the wand. A stream of colorful bubbles flew out of the loop, spreading out to cover the boys. The bubbles burst, giving the boys an unexpected shower.

Marzi giggled, trying to catch and break the bubbles that came near her. The boys did not mind getting covered with soapy water, if it made the baby happy.

"Let's see how _big_ you can make a bubble, Amy!" Peter challenged with a laugh.

"Okay," she agreed. She dipped the wand in the plate again, and readied herself to blow the swirling, rainbow colored liquid into a giant bubble. She started to blow very slowly, and gradually, the bubble grew. It grew until she ran out of breath, till it reached the size of Peter's head, before she relased it into the air. The bubble rose above the children, then suddenly burst, raining the soapy water all over them all.

After a good, long soaking with the bubbles, Amy poured the remaining liquid back into the big bottle to save for another time. Maybe she could work out a bubble solution with soap found in Neverland. For now, everyone had to get the sticky stuff off them. To do _that_, they had to have baths.

"Awwww..." Cubby complained, and the other Lost Boys echoed his reaction. "Do we _have_ to?"

"It would be a good idea," Amy replied. "Especially with the _next_ game I have in mind."

At the thought of a new game, the boys rushed to the creek to clean off the "bubble stuff". Meanwhile, Amy and Petra cleaned themselves and Marzi up, as well. By the time everyone was finsihed with the cleaning, they were ready for the next game.

Like the bubbles, the new game had to include the baby in it as well. There could be absolutely _no_ rough play, so the children had sit and play quietly.

"This next game is more of a magic show --sorta," Amy told them.

"'Sorta'?" Peter asked. "Why, 'sorta'?"

"It's more like stage magic, the kind you see from a magician on a stage."

"Not _real_ magic, then?" Petra asked.

"Depends on your definition of 'real'," Amy smiled. She took out twenty-one cards from a deck and shuffled them. Then, she laid them out in three columns.

"Choose a card, Peter, but don't tell me what it is. Just point to the column that it's in," Amy instructed. Peter did so, choosing the King of Hearts. He pointed to one column. Amy picked the three columns of cards up, making sure to get the one Peter pointed to in the middle. Without shuffling again, she laid the columns out again and again asked Peter to point out the column with his card. He did so, and the cards were once again removed and again laid out. Peter again choose the column with his card. When Amy picked the card up for a third time, however, she simply counted out eleven cards. When she turned up the eleventh card --it was the King of Hearts!

"Is _this_ your card?" she asked him, holding up the red king.

"Yeah!" Peter cried excitedly. "Do it again!" She did so, each time revealing Peter's choosen card --an Ace of Hearts and a Queen of Diamonds. Marzi got caught up in the excitment of the game and began to laugh.

Soon, however, it was time to go home. They had played the day away, and had gotten to know each other very well. Inside the Underground House, they had a late supper, a story, and then bed.

In Peter's room, Peter and Amy were getting Marzi ready for bed.

"How long do you think we're going to have to keep sleeping like this?" Peter asked.

"Making you nervous, huh?" she asked with a smile.

"Who? Me?" he looked at her as if saying, "You have to be kidding!"

"You've never slept with a girl before me, have you?"

"No," he answered flatly. "It's not that I don't _like_ girls. I do. But sleeping like that is for..."

"Grown-ups?"

"Yeah. Grown-ups.

"Don't worry. You won't have to do it for long. Today's picnic was a good start."

"Yes. But will I have to share my room with you, or will you be able to move in with Petra?"

"I don't know. We'll have to see. Now, lets get to bed. I expect you to give me a tour of Neverland tomorrow. I'd like to know where to go if I need to go somewhere in Neverland."

"Okay. Good night, then, Amy," he said as he climed into bed.

"Good night, Peter," Amy smiled back and climbed in on her side of the bed. Soon, the three of them were fast asleep.

* * *

Next: Chapter 6: Golden Tiger's Magic. Hook and the pirates confront Peter and their new mother, only to meet with Amy's kitten, Tiger. But could this kitten be more than Hook bargained for? 


	6. Golden Tiger's Magic

Chapter 6: Golden Tiger's Magic

A week had passed since Peter brought Amy to Neverland to be the new mother for the Lost Children. As Amy had hoped, Marzi soon became accustomed to herself and the other children, not giving so much of a whimper when Peter had to leave for one reason or another. He _always_ came back, and that reassured the baby enough for her to enjoy the company of the Lost Boys and Girls.

"Are you the first Lost Girl, Petra?" Amy asked the girl Pan as the two were peeling potatos for making french fries.

"No," Petra replied. "That honor goes to Jane, the daughter of Wendy Darling. I'm what you might call a Lost Girl by default, because I'm Peter's twin sister. I'm sorta his second-in-command, since I'm his only blood relative."

"And you seem to be like him, too," Amy commented. "I mean, you have the same attitude toward life and the future that _he_ does."

"Strange, that," Petra smiled, "given that I was rasied by a different tribe of fairies. When I reached a certain age, I set out in search for my brother. I spent some time in Japan, learning how to use a katana sword, then resumed my search. I finally found him here in Neverland."

"Happy ending," Amy smiled. She finished cutting her potatos and put them in a bowl.

"It seems to be Peter's specialty," Petra smiled back. She added her raw fries to the bowl.

"I've been thinking," Amy mused aloud, "about Marzi. She's very little, and so much has to be done for her. If she was a little older, it would be easier for everyone. But would Peter allow it?"

"You'll only know that if you ask him," Petra replied. "It won't hurt to ask. But if you do, try to explain _why_. And don't _lie_ to him. Just be truthfull, and Peter will at least hear you out before voicing his opinion."

"I'll remember that," Amy nodded. She took the bowl of fries and poured them into a the deep-frying basket Peter had made for her. Before long, the fries where a nice, golden brown, and ready for draining and eating. Amy finished the process and poured the hot potato sticks back in the bowl. She continued with dinner prepreations.

Peter and the boys filed into the Underground House with their usual decorum --that is, they came in as noisy and excitibly as ever. Marzi, who had been taking a nap on the big bed in the main cave, woke up just in time to see the boys return home. With a happy giggle, she greeted them, holding her little arms out to Peter.

Peter grinned and picked her up, instantly recieving a big hug from the tiny girl. He carried her over to the table as he greeted the two girls.

"Hi, Amy; Hi, Petra!" he grinned at them.

"Hi, Peter," they smiled back. Petra eyed Amy with a glance that said, "Ask him."

"Peter, I'd like to talk to you --alone. About Marzi."

"Okay," Peter said slowly. He handed Marzi to Petra and he and Amy went outside. To be sure they would be alone, they flew out to Skull Rock. _No_ one would be there, so they could talk as much as they need to.

"What is it, Amy?" Peter asked.

"Well..." Amy began. How should she approach this? _Be truthfull to him,_ Petra had said. _Don't lie._ Amy took a big breath and continued. "Marzi is very little right now, and so much has to be done for her. I was wondering if you would object to letting her just grow a _little_ bit. Not grow up," she said hastily, aware of his feelings on _that_ subject. "Just grow enough for her to be able to feed herself, to walk and talk by herself, and do a lot of other stuff on her own."

"'Grow'?" Peter repeated, allowing what Amy was telling him to mull over in his brain.

"Just a little bit, say --Umm...-- to about five years old, maybe? That should be old enough for her to be easier to care for. And besides," Amy put her hand on Peter's shoulder and allowed her face to come very close to his, "wouldn't you like to someday teach Marzi how to fly, and for her to understand when you talk about 'Faith, trust, and pixie dust'?"

Peter blinked. He had _never_ been this close to a girl before. Or, at least, he could not _remember_ being this close to a girl before.

"I don't know..." he finally said. This was something he had never thought about. To actually _allow_ someone to grow to a certain age? And yet, what Amy said made sense. If Marzi was just a little older, they could have a lot more fun with her. And to be able to teach her to fly! That _would_ be something, would it not?

Amy watched him as he thought about what she said. She hoped that he would not be too difficult about the subject. She _never_ suggested for Marzi to grow up --just grow a small amount.

"I'll...think about it," was all he said at last. Amy smiled and nodded. She would not press him, allowing him the time to think her request through. Maybe he would see things her way. She would have to see.

*~*~*

Over the next few days, Amy did not bug Peter about what they had talked about in Skull Rock. She just went about her business, allowing him all the time he needed to think about allowing Marzi to grow to the age of five. She did tend to stress it sometimes, though, like trying to teach the baby to talk, or feeding her other foods, or some such thing like that. Amy always made sure Peter was watching, hoping it was only a subtle look she was giving him. Every time she did, though, Peter would cock his head and give her one of his charming smiles, but would not say anything. Amy wondered if he was _really_ thinking about their conversation on that day.

Then, there was the _one_ time that temporarily drove that talk out of their minds for the next few hours.

Peter and Amy were walking through the woods, coming back to the Underground House after a visit with the Indians. Well, _Amy_ was walking. _Peter_ was floating along beside her, just being his usual, cocky self. Walking beside Amy was Tiger, who was busily trying to catch what he thought was a butterfly. The boy and girl glanced occationally at the kitten, amused by the little animal's antics.

Following them, under cover of the brush, was Captain Hook and his pirates, on yet _another_ of their little excursions to locate and destroy Peter Pan. The sly pirate captain stalked his prey, intent on the kill. He would kidnap the girl, and prehaps take the kitten to use as a threat to make her obey him. He might even try to find Pan's hideout, as well, just to flush out the Lost Boys and that girl Pan.

Soon, Peter, Amy, and Tiger got to the beach. Peter wanted to talk to Amy before going home. Prehaps he had made up his mind about Marzi. Amy hoped that he would allow it. It was only going to be a _little_ growing; a _little_ aging. Nothing major or anything.

Before Peter could speak, however, Hook and his pirates rushed the two, surrounding them in a ring of curved steel. By reflex, Peter drew his dagger, ready to fight the pirates.

"Now, Peter," Hook smiled, an ugly, oily grimice. "You aren't thinking of running off anywhere, are you? And just _who_ is your charming friend? Hmmmm?" 

"None of your business, Codfish!" Peter answered in his usual defiance.

"But you _must_ introduce us," Hook bowed gracefully, doffing his hat. He attempted to kiss Amy's hand, but received several of her fingers in his eye for his trouble.

"OWWWW!!!" he shrieked, his hands flying up to shield his eyes, although a little too late. Amy took a karate stance. Anyone looking at it would see that it was a third level pose, a stance for barely novices at the sport. Luckily, none of the pirates recognized it as karate, although they assumed that the girl knew how to defend herself, and that she may even know more than the stance let on.

"You just stay right where you are," Amy said evenly, watching the pirates' every move.

Neither Peter or the pirates knew what to make of a girl that could defend herself. They remembered Jane, who did very well in that department (Peter, especialy, remembered their first meeting when Jane socked him in the jaw...). That there were _other_ girls that could fight, they could never have imagined.

"You'll _pay_ for that, wench!" Hook snarled, all false politeness gone. He held his sword out in front of him, ready to thrust when the time came.

Suddenly, Tiger pounced between the children and Hook, hissing and snarling at the big man with the long blade. Hook and the pirates stared at the little ball of fluff as it attempted to protect Peter and Amy. Then, Hook started to laugh, and almost immediantly, the other pirates followed suit.

"Why, what do we have here?" Hook said between his laughter. "A little fuzzball trying to protect its friends from the big, bad pirates? How very amusing!" But the amused laughter changed into an evil cackle as Hook prepared to skewer the tiny animal on his sword.

What happened next, _no_ one could comprehend, even Peter, the eternal boy to whom Neverland was a home. To the pirates, it was positively frieghtening.

Tiger began to glow gold. First, his eyes, and then his body emitted a bright light. Then, slowly, the kitten began to grow bigger and bigger. Soon, he was no longer a tiny baby, but a full-grown golden tiger! And that was not the last of it. From out of Tiger's body grew large, golden-feathered wings. He growled loudly, his new form giving him more stength then he thought possible --_if_ the kitten had ever thought at all. Eyeing Hook menacingly, Tiger advanced on the old pirate.

Hook took one look at the transformed animal, screamed, and turned tail and ran. Crocdiles, octopi, and now, a giant golden tiger with wings. That was as much as the wicked pirate captain could stand. Even before his pirates ever thought of following him, Hook was already half-way to the _Jolly Roger_.

The pirates looked from the winged-tiger to the retreating form of their leader, and back again. Then, as one, they screamed and headed back toward their ship. They out-raced Hook and was on board before the one-handed pirate could start climbing onto the deck.

Peter and Amy looked at each other in shock, then stared at Tiger. Slowly, the large cat turned back into a cute, little kitten, totally unaware of what had transpired just a few moments before.

Without a word, Peter and Amy returned to Hangman's Tree. Amy picked up Tiger and carried him the rest of the way, not sure if she should let the little kitten run around on his own anymore.

*~*~*

"What could have happened?" Petra asked. Peter and Amy had told the eternal girl and the Lost Boys about what had happened on the beach, and how Tiger had changed and single-handedly ran the pirates off.

"There's only _one_ thing I can think of," Peter said. "Somehow, Tiger tapped into the natural magic of Neverland and was changed into a winged-tiger, his magical-creature counterpart. You named him 'Golden Tiger', and that's _exactly_ what he became --a golden tiger. He wanted to protect us from the pirates, and Neverland responded."

"Let's just be glad he's on _our_ side," Amy said. The encounter had left her breathless, and Peter had allowed her to sit on his throne. Tink was sure to make a note of the gesture. She _knew_ where Amy slept, and with _whom_, although she also knew that it involved Marzi for some reason.

"Maybe we should just get to bed early," Peter suggested, seeing how shaken Amy was. "We'll _all_ feel better in the morning."

Everyone agreed, and climbed into their own beds. Peter led Amy to their room, where Marzi was napping in the hammock. After helping Amy to lay down, he picked Marzi up and laid her next to Amy. Then, he laid down beside her. He had planned to sleep in the hammock that night, giving the bed to Amy and Marzi, but with what had happened that day, he decided to sleep with them like always.

Things had just become very, _very_, _**VERY**_ interesting in Neverland.

* * *

Next: Chapter 7: Peter and Amy: Puppy Love? Could Peter Pan be falling for Amy? And, of course, Peter's decision about Marzi.


	7. Peter and Amy: Puppy Love?

Chapter 7: Peter and Amy: Puppy Love?

Note: Puppy love is about all it _can_ be. Don't forget: These are young _kids_ we're talking about here.

Peter and Amy sat on a cliff overlooking Pirate's Cove, staring at the _Jolly Roger_ anchored in its usual place. The boy and girl had taken to spending a lot of time together, just the two of them.

"I thought you and Jane sunk that thing," Amy said to Peter. "What's it still doing here?"

"Well," Peter smiled at her. "Old Hook had the best divers in his crew swim down and actually take the ship apart, piece-by-piece, and brought them to the beach. Once all the pieces of the ship were recovered, he had them rebuild the entire ship. It took them _months_ to put it back together, but evenutally, they had the _Jolly Roger_ completely rebuilt, right down to the smallest nail."

"Persistant, isn't he?" Amy giggled.

"Yeah, I'll say _that_ for him," Peter agreed with a grin. "But it wouldn't be much fun without him, ya know?"

"I'm sure," she agreed.

"Sometimes, though," Peter sighed, "he gets a little out of control. I can't control what he does; I can just try to handle whatever trouble he causes."

"Look at it this way: As long as you can keep them here in Neverland, it means that there is one _less_ pirate ship to cause trouble in the 'real world'."

"True," Peter smiled. He liked being with Amy. She was smart, caring, tough, but was still feminine. He remembered having strong feelings for both Wendy and Jane --and Tink's jealously over his attention toward the two girls. But Tink seemed to be steering herself toward Dusty for some reason. Peter did not understand it, but the presence of a male pixie was attracting Tink as much as having a girl in the Underground House was attracting Peter. Maybe _this_ time, Tink will not be so jealous of the girls living with the Lost Boys.

Peter stared out over the water, thinking about Amy's request about Marzi. To let the child grow, if only just to the age of five. That was a tall order for this boy who, himself, did not want to grow up. Time --and aging-- in Neverland was very different than it was in what was termed the "Real World". Aging was more of a matter of _will_ than an event that just happened year-by-year. In truth, no one --Peter included-- knew just how old Peter _really_ was. He could be centuries, or even _millennia_ old. He --and Neverland-- could have very easily have been in existance from the begining of time, itself. But the history of the magical island was lost to antiquity, as well as Peter's own history. All he was really _sure_ of was that he had run away from home the day he was born. Even _that_ may not be his _true_ origin.

However long the eternal youth had lived in his little world, he never aged a day past the age of twelve. But he had to _get_ to the age of twelve first, right? How had he done that? Had he simply said one day, "Okay: I'm only a baby right now. I need to grow some to _really_ have adventures. So I think I'll grow until I become twelve years old. Then, I'll stop growing and then I'll _always_ be a twelve-year old boy."?

There was a possibility that it was _Peter_ that controled time in Neverland, although he might not know it. Or perhaps you just had to keep track of time for it to pass in a normal manner.

However it happened, time _did_ pass in Neverland. Just not like it does in the "Real World". That's why Amy's request to allow Marzi to grow was such a heavy request. The control of time was in question, and allowing something, and having it happen may be two different things.

On the other hand, in Neverland, _anything_ was possible. Even normal aging. And stopping at a certain age.

"What are you thinking about?" Amy asked, bringing Peter back from his train of thought. He turned to her with a "Huh? Oh..." and smiled at her.

"Just thinking about Marzi," he told her. "I'm not sure how time goes here in Neverland. We don't keep track of much, aside from day and night, and season to season. Even then, we don't keep track of how many suns and moons and seasons go by. But I'm willing to let Marzi grow --_only_," here, he stressed the word, "only" and locked his chocolate eyes with her blue eyes, "to the age of five. No older."

"Thank you, Peter!" Amy cried. Then, she did what no girl had ever done before --at least, Peter did not _remember_ a girl doing it before--: She kissed him hard on the cheek!

Peter stared at Amy, not sure what to think. There was a dim memory of young Wendy trying to --kiss? Was that what it was? He remembered her sighing, and looking at him with dreamy, starry eyes, then saying that it was so wonderful that she thought she would give him a kiss. His reaction: "What's a 'kiss'?" and scratching his head in confusion. She then said that she would show him, and suddenly, Wendy was walking toward him with her eyes closed and her lips forming a little "O". Not to be rude or anything, but he thought she looked a little like a fish when she did that. Course, he would _never_ say that out loud. He had cared too much for Wendy to do that.

Jane had never tried to kiss him. In fact, she did not seem at all impressed by him, no matter _what_ he did. He thought of it as a challenge. She _did_ give him a hug after he had "knighted" her as the first Lost Girl. Jane had learned to play with Peter and the Lost Boys on their level, even going so far as playfully pushing Peter off a small outcropping of rock. If he was not constantly flying and floating, the eternal boy would have fallen into the lagoon. As it was, Jane endeared herself to Peter and his little band of Lost Boys.

Now, Amy had gone and done what Wendy attempted to do and Jane never thought of doing: Kissed Peter Pan! And that was without pausing to think twice about it.

Peter tried to decide how he felt. The kiss had been quick, but had left a wet mark on his face. He could _feel_ the wetness there. Slowly, he raised his hand to touch his cheek, his fingers brushing the mark of her lips the kiss left behind.

"What's the matter, Peter?" Amy asked. "Haven't you ever been kissed before?"

"Uh...sure...I think..." he stammered.

"Don't lie to me, Peter," Amy grinned, looking him in the eye. His cheeks went a bright red.

"Well...no...not really," he admitted. "Wendy _almost_ did, but Tink pulled her hair and..."

"Nevermind," she laughed. He smiled and took her hand in his. For long moments the two of them just sat and stared at each other.

*~*~*

For the next several days, Peter and the others focused on Marzi, and teaching her how to talk, walk, and feed herself. She made quite a mess with the spoon, getting more of her mush on her face than in her mouth. Walking was not easy, either. She fell down several times. It helped, though, that she was always pointed toward Peter. It gave her a goal: Get to her beloved "big brother". The talking was not working out very well. At least, not at first. Marzi pretty much just babbled and giggled whenever they tried.

The sleeping arrangements were nearly the same as they had been: Peter was now sleeping in his hammock, with Amy and Marzi in the bed. He figured it was okay for Amy and him to be in the same room --or even the same _bed_, if Marzi was between them-- as long as they slept in different beds. He wondered what was going on between them. Wendy would _never_ approved of the sleeping arrangement. She probibly would have slapped him if he even _suggested_ such a thing. He was not so sure Jane would have gone along with it, either.

So what was it about Amy that made it seem okay? Peter was sure _he_ did not know. He just let it alone, joining them in the bed if Marzi showed any signs of bad dreams or something. Peter had to admit that he loved the tiny girl a lot. Something scared him, though. He was very uneasy about having her with them for some reason. No, it was not Marzi, herself. It was...

It was...

No beating around the bush. It was that he had assumed the role of "father" to the girl. And if Amy was "mother"...

No. He was _not_ going to be "daddy" to little Marzi. "Big brother", yes, but not "daddy". Never!

Never say "never", Peter.

*~*~*

"Come on, Marzi," Peter coaxed the child gently. "You can say it: Peter. That's my name; Peter."

The child just looked at him and giggled, reaching for him. She did not seem intrested in talking.

"Having problems, Peter?" Petra asked. The Lost Boys were watching as their leader attempted to teach the baby her first words, but not seeming to have any luck.

"Teaching someone to talk is _not_ the easiest thing in the world," he answered. "About what age _do_ kids start talking?"

"About one, one and half, somewhere along there," Amy answered. "To be truthfull, she looks like she might be overdue. Just keep trying. Sooner or later, she'll try to imatate you talking to her and say her first word."

"Okay," Peter sighed. He went back to teaching Marzi to talk as the others looked on.

This was going to be a very long five years...

*~*~*

Peter sat at the table with Marzi in his lap. He fed her a mixture of banana and berry mush that she seemed to like a lot. He talked to her as he offered her the food, slowly and carefully spooning it into her mouth.

"A bite for Amy..." he said, giving her a spoonfull of the mush. The baby ate it eagerly. "A bite for Petra..." Marzi ate that little bit of food, as well. Peter went through every name he could think of, oddly enough, avoiding his own. Pretty soon, however, he ran out of names. Taking a spoonfull of the mush, he offered it to Marzi.

"And how about a bite for Peter..." Marzi giggled and very eagerly ate the fruit mush. Then, Peter began the names again.

It was when he got to his own name for the third time when it happened. Everyone just looked first at Marzi, and then at Peter in surprise and shock.

"Peeteer," Marzi said in a high voice.

* * *

Next: Chapter 8: Marzi Pan Flys! It's now five years later. No one but Marzi has aged, and now, the child is ready for her first flying lesson. How will she do?


	8. Marzi Pan Flys!

Chapter 8: Marzi Pan Flys!

Five years had passed in Neverland, and while everyone else had remained the same, little Marzi had grown and aged until she had reached the five year goal that Peter had set for her. By now, she could walk and talk fairly well, and was feeding herself from the same menu the Lost Children chose from.

Marzi played the same games the boys played, showing a fairly high degree of skill with a lot of them. She never really _tried_ to win --she just had fun. Amy, Petra, and the boys loved to just play with Marzi, allowing her to do her own thing when they played.

Marzi spent most of her time with Peter and Amy, who had developed a sort of "pseudo-parental" relationship. Oh, they _knew_ it was not for _real_, but with Peter as leader, and Amy as "mother", it was a natural pairing.

Today, Peter had a surprise for Marzi. He knew it was time for her to learn one of his favorite activities. He just had to be careful about how he went about it. She had to see what a wonderful feeling it gave the one doing it.

"Today's the day!" Peter grinned at breakfast that morning. He watched as Marzi ate her pancakes and sausage.

"For what?" Amy asked. She eyed the green-clad boy with intrest.

"For Marzi's first flying lesson," he answered. "It's about time she learned."

"I just hope you're not planning to do it the way you tried to teach Jane," Slightly commented. The fox-pelted boy remembered well _that_ flying lesson.

"Don't worry," Peter smiled at him. "I'm going to take my time with Marzi, and be careful."

"Whoa! That's a big switch for you!" Nibs added his comment.

"Why?" Peter asked. "Marzi's not Wendy or John or even Jane. Why should _her_ flying lesson be anything like theirs?"

"Good point," Slighty grinned.

"So, what time today are you going to start?" Amy asked.

"A little after breakfast," he answered. "I want an early start. The sooner we start, the sooner she'll learn to fly."

"Aren't you going to need something?" Amy asked. "Or, to be more precise, some_one_?"

"Of course," Peter grinned. He gave a shrill whistle, and was answered by a jingle of bells. Seconds later, Tinker Bell appeared, scattering golden pixie dust as she flew around the room.

"We're going to start teaching Marzi how to fly today, Tink," Peter answered the pixie's jingled question. Tink became excited about the upcoming lesson. Of course, they would need _her_ pixie dust to help the child fly.

"Where are you going to give her the lesson?" Amy asked.

"The meadow where we had that picnic," Peter answered. "She doesn't need to jump of a rock or anything, and she shouldn't do that anyway. We'll try it from the ground."

"Sounds like a plan," Petra smiled.

"Whatdaya think, Marzi?" Peter asked the little girl. "Ready to learn to fly?"

"Uh, huh," the child nodded, stuffing another forkfull of pancake in her mouth.

"Well, finish your breakfast first," he said. "Then, we'll go somewhere and give you your first flying lesson."

"Okay," Marzi replied, taking a big drink of milk.

*~*~*

Peter, Amy, and Marzi stood out in the meadow, Tinker Bell ready to dust the child with her pixie dust. Petra and the Lost Boys were on the edge of the woods, watching the lesson.

"Ready?" Peter asked Marzi. He held her by one hand, her gentle teacher for this very important part of life in Neverland.

"Uh, huh," she nodded, looking up at him.

"Okay. Sprinkle her, Tink," Peter grinned. The tiny pixie showered Marzi with her dust, making her sparkle with gold.

"Now," Peter instructed, "you need to think of a wonderful thought. Anything that makes you happy."

Marzi screwed her little face up in an effort to think of something wonderful. Her face turned bright pink with all the squeezing, but after awhile, she finally came up with something.

"Peter!" she cried. As soon as the word was out of her mouth, _up_ she went.

"Figures," Petra laughed.

"Yeah," Slightly agreed. "It's not like she's stuck to him like glue."

Peter rose with her, flattered that she would think of _him_ as her "wonderful thought". With the eternal boy beside her, Marzi felt no fear of falling from the sky.

As soon as they were airborne, Peter began to show her how to keep aloft, and how to move any whatever direction she wanted to go. Marzi paid very close attention to what Peter told her, hanging on every word. He mentioned something about "Faith and trust and pixie dust" being the recipe for flight, but she focused more on keeping up in the air.

Amy watched them from her spot in the meadow. She wondered where the time had gone. Five years ago, she was the main source of income for her widowed father and herself. Now, she was "mother" to a group of eternal children. Of course, she had not _always_ been poor. Long ago, when her mother lived, they had been just your typical, middle-class family. Both parents had worked, Amy went to school, played video games, listened to music, and all the other stuff that most girls her age did.

When her mother died suddenly and mysteriously, everything changed and went rapidly downhill. Amy's father --unable to cope with the loss of his wife-- stared drinking heavily and ended up on disability. They had to sell most of their stuff, but Amy retained a few things: A CD/Tape player, her video games, a DVD/Video tape player, and a television, among other things. When she came with Peter to Neverland, Amy brought the CD/Tape player with her, as well as several tapes and compact disks. Now, if she could just find an electrical outlet to plug them into...

Peter flew by, Marzi floating beside him. She was doing well in her first flying lesson. Pretty soon, the little girl would be just as skilled a flyer as Peter Pan, himself.

They kept up the flying lesson for about three hours, until finally, they came in for the mid-day meal.

"How'd she do?" Amy asked Peter.

"She's a little unsteady, especially on the turns," he answered. "But she's learning. Slowly, but definately learning."

"At least she _is_ learning," Amy said. "Come on; time for lunch." She led the way to where she and the others set up a picnic.

The children sat and ate, talking about the flying lesson, and pretty much just enjoying themselves. Marzi's first flying lesson had went well, but she still had a long way to go before she could be considered on Peter's level.

After lunch, Marzi practiced with Peter, following his lead as she moved in the sky. By the end of the day, Marzi could fly short distances without holding Peter's hand. He estimated that the little girl would take about a week, maybe two, to get good enough to fly on her own.

"I hope you don't plan to allow her to fly unescourted," Amy commented, when Peter told her of his estimate.

"Of course not," he assured her. "I just mean that in a week, she'll be able to fly without help."

"Of course," Amy nodded. The family headed back home, ready for a rest. Tomorrow, there would be more practice, and soon, Marzi would be able to join Peter in one of his favorite games --Sky Tag.

*~*~*

Peter and Amy put a very sleepy Marzi to bed. In all the five years that Amy had been in Neverland, the sleeping arrangements had not changed. Peter still slept in his hammock, sleeping in the bed with Amy and Marzi only when necesary. He usually did so during storms, when the crash of thunder frieghtened the little girl.

"If we were her _real_ parents," Amy smiled down at the sleeping child, "we'd be saying that she was growing-up to be a little lady, or something like that. Be we're not. And I know better than say something like that _here_."

"I should _hope_ you'd know better," Peter smiled. "But she will always be a five-year old little girl. That was the age I agreed on, and that's how old she is now."

"Without knowing her real birthdate," Amy reminded him. "For all _we_ know, she might have been _two_ when you found her. True age is hard to tell."

"True. Who knows what _my_ real age is. But I'll always be about twelve years old to anyone who sees me."

"Eternal youth," Amy smiled. "A boy forever."

"Right!" he grinned. He leaned over and kissed both Amy and Marzi on the cheek. "Good night," he whispered to them.

"Good night, Peter," Amy whispered back. She laid down with Marzi, while Peter climbed into his hammock. Before long, everyone was asleep.

* * *

Next: Chapter 9: Sick Days. What happens when everyone but Peter gets sick, and he has to act as nurse for not only Amy and Marzi, but Petra and all the Lost Boys, as well. Luckily, Peter has Tink and Dusty to help him.


	9. Sick Day

Note: I'll _try_ to update the story as much as I can. I may have to skip some days, though.

Chapter 9: Sick Day

Peter woke up one day to someone in the room coughing. He laid in his hammock, trying to figure out who it was. At first, he thought it was him, but he did not think he ever got sick. At the next cough, he knew that _he_ was not the one. That only left Amy and/or Marzi. Alarmed, he got up and approached the bed.

Amy and Marzi _looked_ all right, but as he watched, Amy suddenly coughed again. In the next moment, Marzi also coughed.

_Uh, oh!_ Peter thought. _They're _both_ sick! I'd better get the thermometer._ To Peter and the Lost Boys, a thermometer was the be-all and end-all of doctoring equipment. Somehow, it told them _everything_ they needed to know about how a sick person was. Few were the Lost Boys that could read the numbers on the glass tube; fewer still were the ones that could understand the meaning of the numbers and the level of the red liquid inside.

Peter found the thermometer where they left it --with a box that Amy had told them was a first-aid kit. He immediantly rushed back to his room to see about the two girls.

Amy's eyes fluttered open, only to find Peter sticking something in her mouth. After a few moments, he took it out and looked at it. He knew a little about how to read the thermometer --Slightly was the one that could _really_ understand the numbers. The fox-pelted boy had told Peter that ninety-eight point six degrees was normal human body temperature. Anything lower or higher could mean the person was sick.

The level of the liquid in the tube was at about one-hundred degrees --a little higher than it should be. Concerned, Peter felt Amy's forehead. It was warmer than it should be.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Not...::cough::...too good...::cough::..." she answered weakly.

"It looks like Marzi's sick, too," he said. He felt the child's forehead. She, too, felt hot to the touch. He took her temperature, as well. Marzi's temperature was also around one-hunderd.

"You two stay in bed," Peter told them. "I'll see about getting something for you to eat or drink."

"Okay..." Amy said horsely. She settled back in the bed with Marzi. Peter left the room to tell the boys that they needed to be quiet because Amy and Marzi was sick.

Peter was surprised to learn that the Lost Boys were also sick. He told them to stay in bed, then headed for Petra's room. Normally, he would have knocked on the wall to get her attention and ask for permission to enter. But with everyone sick, Peter thought that maybe he should check on _her_ as well.

Petra was also ill, coughing and sneezing as she tried to keep warm under the fur blanket. Dusty sat on a pillow nearby, worried about his friend.

"Dusty," Peter whispered, trying to get the pixie's attention. When Dusty looked his way, Peter motioned for him to come over to him. Although reluctant to leave Petra alone, Dusty did so, jingling a soft, "She's sick," to Peter.

"I know," the boy answered. "Everyone but me, you, and maybe Tink are sick. What are we going to do?"

"Take care of them, of course," Dusty replied. "My Healing Dust will help. But even the dust will take awhile to work."

"Okay," Peter agreed. "The sooner _we_ get started, the sooner _they_ get well." Together, the boy and pixie went into the kitchen to prepare the medicine.

*~*~*

Peter handed out the nine cups of medicine to the sick ones. The medicine was water, with three pixie-handfulls of Dusty's Healing Dust, and mixed well. Peter encouraged each of the Lost Boys to drink the whole cup, then told them to stay in bed. He then tended to Petra, and then Amy and Marzi.

The medicine --a very big improvement over their usual medicine of sugar-water-- tasted like honey and milk, and was just as soothing. Mixed with water and ingested, the Healing Dust could cure _any_ illness and neutralize _any_ poison. Mixed into a paste and applied to _any_ kind of wound, the Healing Dust would speed up the healing process dramatically. In a pinch, the dust could be spread on without mixing it with water, but the healing was slower if done that way.

Peter spent the day tending to his sick friends, barely having any time to himself to rest. He managed a few naps, either on his throne, or in his hammock. At noon, he managed to make some decent soup to feed to his patients, which he had to spoon-feed to some of the younger ones.

During one lull in his duties, Peter slumped in his chair, lost in thought.

_I wonder how they caught the --whatever it is they have,_ Peter thought. _We haven't been anywhere for them to contact anything. All the fresh water sources in Neverland are pure and clean, unlike those in the "real world". Maybe some of the mudholes has something in them. The air is normally clean, except where the smoke from the Indian villiage rises, and even _that's_ in such a small area that the smoke doesn't effect the rest of Neverland. Could the pirates have come up with something? No, I don't think so. Hook's smart, but not smart enough to create illness. I've heard about scientists in the "real world" making things that could make people sick as a way to fight them. They call it "germ warfare". It even _sounds_ sick. What grown-ups won't do to each other!_ Peter shook his head, unable to understand the things adults do. He did not even understand war. To him, fighting Hook and his pirates was a game. For the most part, Peter never hurt anyone when he fought the pirates. He had his fun, but never did anyone harm. Not counting the time he had cut off Hook's hand, of course. But sometimes, the battle would get serious, like the time Hook had tricked Tink and kidnapped his friends.

_There may come a day,_ Peter mused, _when I will finally do in Hook once and for all. He'll do something so evil, I'll _have_ to kill him. What that might be, I don't know. I'll just have to keep my eyes open and be alert._

The boys woke up, but were so weak, they could only stare at their leader. Peter felt sorry for them. They had been having a rough day. Well, thanks to Dusty's Healing Dust medicine, everyone would be well by tomorrow. Peter took out his panpipes and began to play them for his friends. The boys smiled as they listened to the music.

"Feel like eatting something?" Peter asked them at last. "There's still some soup left." They nodded. "Okay. Feel like eatting at the table?" At that, the boys piled out of bed and quietly settled themselves at the table. Peter poured them bowls of soup and set the bowls in front of the boys. Then, Peter fixed a bowl of soup and took it to Petra. Two more times, he filled bowls, one each for Amy and Marzi. As soon as all that was done, Peter fixed a bowl for himself. Then, when everyone was fed and back in bed, he made his way wearily to his hammock and fell in, not even waiting until he was entirely in the swinging bed before he was fast asleep.

_It's been a very long day,_ he thought. _They'll be well by tomorrow, but I'm beat! I could sleep for a week! Well, maybe not _that_ long, but close enough. Maybe tomorrow I'll go and see what ol' Codfish is up to. I didn't get out to the ship today. He might be wondering what happened to me._ Peter grinned in his sleep as this thought floated through his mind. _I'll --reassure-- him tomorrow._

Peter sighed in his sleep, exhaustion finally quieting even his thoughts. For the rest of the night, he was in a deep, dreamless slumber. Tomorrow, things would be back to normal, pranks and all. For tonight, there was only sleep.

Note: Sorry for the relatively short chapter. There's only so much you can do with a sick day.

* * *

Next: Chapter 10: Stormy Weather. Peter and Amy get caught in a storm --alone. As they take shelter to wait it out, they pass the time by talking. How do they feel about each other? And what will the future hold for them?


	10. Stormy Weather

Chapter 10: Stormy Weather

"I really should have expected them to do that," Amy said, brushing her wet hair out of her eyes. "Really should have expected the mermaids to react that way. It was the same reaction they had to Wendy and Jane, wasn't it?"

"Yep!" Peter grinned. He and Amy flew away from the Mermaids' Lagoon after a brief visit with the fish girls. As soon as the mermaids learned that Amy was the new Lost Boy mother, and was living with Peter, the watery maidens threw water all over Amy. Amy showed that she could give back as good as she got, when she threw sand on the mermaids. Fortunately, Peter had intervined before more violence could break out.

Now, the two were heading home so that Amy could dry off. A warm fire and some hot soup sounded good to the drenched girl right about now. She shivered in the setting sun.

"You knew you couldn't avoid them forever, right?" Peter asked.

"I managed to avoid them for a good long time, though. Five years."

"Yeah," Peter answered, frowning. He did not want to be reminded how many years had gone by since he had brought Amy to Neverland. It reminded him that he had allowed Marzi to grow in a normal manner.

Suddenly, there was a flash of lighting and a loud crash of thunder. A storm was on its way. Although Neverland was located in the heavens, on the second star to the right, it also got its share of storms. And _this_ one sounded close. Very close.

"We need to get to shelter right away!" Amy cried.

"I know just the place," Peter answered. "Follow me." He veered off toward a certain mountain in the center of Neverland. Amy followed right behind him, wondering where he was leading her.

Peter led her to a cave deep inside the mountain. It was a copy of the underground house, complete with a fireplace, a bed, a table with benches, and other things. A corner held containers for food and water, all clean and fresh, as _all_ food and water was in Neverland.

"It's a place I come to when I want to be alone. Just to think, sometimes, or to cool down when I get angry with the boys. The only other ones that know of this cave is Petra, Tink, and Dusty. That way, if there's an emergency, one of them can come and get me."

"I suppose even _you_ need a rest from adventures every once in a while," she smiled at him as she removed her backback and put it on the table.

"Yeah," he grinned. "Sometimes." He lit the fire in the fireplace and soon, they were nice and warm. He filled a small cookpot with water and started it to boiling for soup. Meanwhile, Amy checked the food stores for the ingredients, and found meat, carrots, peas, and potatos. These, she cleaned and chopped into small bits, adding them to the water when it was ready. The two took turns stirring the soup as it cooked, talking as they waited for their food to be ready.

"What do you do here?" she asked him.

"Oh, nothing much, really. Sleep, sometimes, or just lay on the bed, stare at the ceiling, and think. Sometimes I just let my mind wander, and I come up with some new games every once in a while. Course, I also use it for an emergency shelter, like we're doing now."

"Must be nice to get away for awhile, even if it's only for a few hours."

"Yeah," he sighed. "But I soon miss the guys, and miss playing pranks on old Hook. And I always go back."

"Of course you do," she smiled. The soup was ready, and they took it off the fire, bringing it to the table. Peter got two bowls and ladled the soup into them. He got two spoons, as well as a pair of glasses for water to drink. Their food ready, the two sat down to eat.

They ate in silence for awhile, the only sound coming from the storm outside. Each was lost in their own thoughts as the enjoyed theor soup. They wondered how the boys and Marzi was weathering the storm. The little girl must be scared, for the thunder was extremely loud. At least she was with Petra and the Lost Boys. _They_ and the pixies would take care of her.

After their meal, Amy decided to teach Peter a new game. He watched, fastenated, as she got out twelve little cups and two bowls. She arranged the cups in two rows of six each, then put a bowl at either end of the rows. Then, she found some beans and picked out fourty-eight, putting four beans in each of the twelve cups.

"This game is from Africa, and it has as many names and as many ways to play as there are countries in Africa. The most well-known name for it is 'Mancala', and these are the rules _I_ learned." She made sure Peter was paying attention before she continued.

"The six cups on your side of the board belongs to you. The six on my side belongs to me. The bowl to your right is your 'store', while the other one is mine. In this game we don't own the pieces. We own the locations on the board. The object of the game is to have the most pieces both in your store, _and_ on your side of the board when the other person runs out of pieces. We do that by picking up the pieces in one of the cups and dropping them each, one-by-one, in the cups. If your last piece lands in your store, you get another turn. If your last piece lands on your side of the board, and there are pieces right across from the hole the last piece landed in, you've 'captured' those pieces, and get to put them --as well as the piece that did the 'capturing'-- into your store."

"Sounds simple enough," Peter smiled.

"It is," she smiled back. "I'll start, to show you what I mean. Let's see: There are four beans in each cup, so if I take the beans from the third cup," she did so, ending the move in her "store". "I get another turn," she said. This time, she moved the beans --of which there were now five-- from the sixth cup, ending in cup four on Peter's side of the board. Now, Peter studied his pieces. He then took the beans from his second cup and move them, ending in his own "store". He took another turn, moving the beans from his fifth cup, and ending the move in Amy's third cup. Now, it was _her_ turn.

They kept taking turns until Peter ran out of pieces. Then, they counted them. Peter had seventeen beans in his "store", while Amy had thirty-one in hers. Amy won the game --against Peter!

"Don't worry about it, Peter," Amy said. "It's one of those games that's easy to learn, but takes practice to learn well. Let's play some more."

"Okay," he replied. Once again, Amy set up the pieces. She allowed Peter to go first, this time. He took his cue from Amy, and moved the beans in his third cup first, then followed that with the ones in his sixth cup. _This_ time, when he ran out of pieces, Peter had _more_ than Amy. He grinned and challenged her to another game. This was fun!

They played several games of Mancala, each winning their fair share of the games. Peter was getting good at it. He asked if they could use _more_ beans in each cup.

"Sure," Amy replied. "But I wouldn't go too many more. Remember: We're piling up the beans each time we move. The cups will overflow if we get _too_ many beans in them."

"What's the best number of beans to start with?"

"Anywhere from thirty-six --three in each cup-- to eighty-four --seven in each cup-- is a good range. Four or five in each cup is a decent amount."

"Okay," he smiled. Amy set up for another game. They played for hours, until they finally got sleepy. They stretched and yawned, ready for some sleep.

But how were they going to handle the sleeping arrangements _this_ time?

"There's only _one_ bed," Amy pointed out. The bed in question was big --just the right size for up to three people. But _this_ time, there would be _no_ Marzi between them. Yes, they _could_ still use the same bed --it was wide enough that there would be a space between them. But still, it meant they would be sleeping _together_. They had done it for little Marzi, but now, it would just be the two of them. All the uneasiness that Peter had felt five years ago, when he first shared the bed with the two girls came back to him. But there did not seem to be any other way.

"The bed's big enough to share," he gulped. "We shouldn't come into --unreasonable-- contact." What was the matter with him? Peter Pan was _never_ nervous about anything. He had more confidence in himself than anyone in the world! So why was he so unsure about sharing his bed with a girl? Especially a girl he has known for five years?!

Amy smiled gently at him. He was trying so _hard_ to be gentleman about the bed. To show him just how much she appreciated the gesture on his part, the girl leaned forward and kissed him.

She had meant to kiss him on the cheek. That was always how they showed affection to each other. Unless he was being gallant. _Then_, Peter would kiss her hand. But whenever they wanted to show how much they loved each other, the two would hug and give each other a kiss on the cheek.

But this time, the kiss landed on his lips. Amy had not _meant_ to kiss him there; it just _happened_. As she leaned in to give him the kiss, Peter had moved his head. The result was that she missed his cheek and got his lips, instead.

Almost immediately, Amy withdrew, covering her mouth in shock at herself.

"Peter...I...I...I'm sorry...I..."

"It's...okay..." he replied. "Really." He smiled gently at Amy to reassure her. "Let's get some sleep." All she could do was nod. Together, they climbed into the bed, taking great care not to get _too_ close to each other. They fell asleep to the sound of the falling rain.

*~*~*

The next morning, everything was clean and clear. The storm was over, and Peter and Amy could return to the underground house. After a quick breakfast of berries and water, they headed home. Neither spoke about the kiss from the night before.

As soon as they entered the house, little Marzi ran straight to Peter, hugging his legs as if she would never let go.

"It's okay, Marzi," Peter said. "We got caught in the storm, and had to go somewhere to keep dry. But we're back, and safe."

"No do that again!" the girl cried as he picked her up. "No go'way again!" Marzi hugged him close.

"Did you miss me?" he grinned at her. She nodded, then continued to hug him. It had only been for one day, and she _still_ had been afraid without him. Peter thought she had out --_grown_?-- that. Maybe she had not.

"Amy taught me a new game while we were away," Peter said, hoping to distract them. Petra and the boys crowded around their leader. "We'll need twelve cups, two bowls, and a bag of beans. We'll need to count out fourty-eight beans for the game..."

Amy smiled to herself as Peter introduced the game of Mancala to the Lost Boys. Soon, Peter would be teaching them how to play the game, then setting up several mini-games for the children to play. Once again, Peter would pit himself against Amy. Before long, they would start a Mancala Championship Tournament, even with a prize for the winner.

But that is another story for another time.

* * *

Next: Chapter 11: Amy's Past. News of Amy's father reaches Neverland, and it is not pleasent. What will Amy do?


	11. Amy's Past

Chapter 11: Amy's Past

Things from the "real world" had a way of showing up in Neverland, mainly due to the rare, but powerfull storms that sometimes bombarded the magical island. On occasion, the children have found movie posters, newspapers, magazines, even bits of paper houses from Japan. Of course, it was up to Amy to pre-read any materal that appeared on the beaches of Neverland, as a precaution against "inappropreate" stories or pictures. Anything she found like that, she flew over the [i]Jolly Roger[/i] and dropped it for the pirates. In a odd way, that endeared her to most of the crew.

Which is how Amy got some very disturbing news about her father.

"What's that?" Nibs asked, pointing to the newspaper that laid on the beach. Prehaps it was the magic of the island that prevented the ink from running, but the newspaper --as well as all other paper items found on the island-- was completely clean. It was just wet and soggy from being in the water.

"Looks like a newspaper," Peter said. He picked it up. Of all the Lost Boys, Peter was the best reader. He could recognize and read more words than they could. He looked through the wet paper, wondering what was going on in the world outside of Neverland.

He read about the Middle East, and how hostilities was getting worse in that area of the world. He just shook his head saddly. He read about what teams was winning --he gave a little wry smile when he read about the Cleveland Indians winning against the Pittsberg Pirates in one baseball game-- and about who was Player of the Year for that year. He read the funnies out loud to the Lost Boys, and the children laughed aloud at the jokes.

It was when he got to the obituaries that Peter furrowed his brow in concern. He had asked Amy once what "obituaries" meant, and she had told the boys that it was the section of the paper that told who had died every day. He read the names, but they were no one that he knew. That is, until he came up to the name, "Rhines".

_That's _Amy's_ last name!_ he thought. _But she's alive! Maybe they just _think_ she's dead._ He read on, and breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that the entry was _not_ for Amy. But still, the last name of "Rhines" startled Peter. He flew to find her.

He found her talking with Petra and Tiger Lily, about what, he could not tell. At the moment, he was not concerned about whatever it was they were discussing. He was too concerned about the entry in the newspaper.

"What's wrong, Peter?" Amy asked. The girls stopped talking to give him their attention.

"Amy," he began, "your father's name...does it happen to be 'Doug'?" He looked at her a little nervously.

"Yes," she answered. "But how did you know..." He handed her the paper.

"Look in the 'obits'," he told her quietly, biting his lip. Taking the paper, Amy did so.

"'Douglas F. Rhines, Age fourty-five, died this past Monday at his home. An autopsy revealed that Rhines had suffered a heart attack, caused, in part, by his heavy drinking. He was preceeded in death by his wife, Gina Sadler Rhines. He is survived by one child, a daughter, Amy Rhines, who has been missing for three and a half years. Funeral...' Amy's voice quivered as she read, finally getting to the point where she could not read any more. The paper dropped from her hands as she used them to cover her eyes. She felt Peter's arms encircle her, and she bowed her head on his shoulder and cried.

Peter held her like that for a long time, allowing her to cry herself out. The paper had said that Amy had been missing for three and a half years. And the date on the paper _was_ one and half years ago. The paper was old, and Mr. Rhines was already buried.

"I'm sorry, Amy," Peter whispered in her ear. He was a gentle boy, and felt bad when others was sad. For a long time, the two of them were quiet, except for Amy's sobs.

Presently, Amy stopped crying. She sniffed and look up into Peter's face. Gently, he brushed away the last of her tears, giving her a kind smile. Thankful for his presence, she smiled back.

"If you want, we'll go and see his grave tonight," he offered. "You can at least say 'good-bye', late as it may be."

"Thank you, Peter," she sniffed. She kissed him on the cheek and hugged him to her.

*~*~*

Three figures flew through the sky that night --a boy, a girl, and a pixie-- on their way toward the California coast. Soon, they were in Amy's old home town, flying toward the cemetary.

In her hands, Amy carried fresh, Neverland flowers. Peter had a handful, as well, and even Tinker Bell had a blossom. The flowers were bright and very colorful, even more so than any that could be found in the world outside of Peter's magical island. They would last longer, too, although they would also eventually wilt and die. Only if they were still in Neverland would the flowers still live, even if plucked.

They found the two graves, a double-tombstone with the couples names and birth- and death-dates set up before them. On each side of the large stone were places to put flowers for the deceased.

"Mom; Dad," Amy began, then her voice broke. Peter put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. She glanced back at him and smiled her thanks, then continued. "It's been awhile, I know. You're probibly wondering about _why_ I left. I wanted Dad to snap out of his alcoholic stupor he was drinking himself into. I thought that if he didn't have _me_ to depend on, he'd start depending on himself. Apparently, that didn't work."

"You've probibly been wondering where I've been these past five years, too. Believe it or not, I've been in Neverland with Peter Pan and his friends. No jive, guys! That's where I've been. Brought you a present from there, too." Amy stepped up and placed her bouquet of Neverflowers in the two stone vases. She then stepped back and let Peter and Tink come forward.

"By-the-way, Mom and Dad; this is Peter Pan and Tinker Bell." Peter smiled as he placed his own flowers on the graves. Tink followed with her one flower, and placed it on top of the gravestone, itself, right in the middle.

"Don't worry about me," Amy continued talking to her dead parents. "I'll be staying with Peter and the guys. They _really_ need a mother. Trust me on this one. I wish you could've really met them. I think you would have loved them as much as I do. They're _all_ great kids --every one of them. And Peter and Petra are the best! And little Marzi Pan is the sweetest little girl you've ever seen. The only real problem we have in Neverland is old Captain Hook and his pirates. I bet we could have gotten Hook and Dad in a discussion on politics, though. _That_ would keep the pirates out of trouble for days. I guess that's all I needed to say. I'll be okay. Peter and the others won't let anything happen to me. I don't know if I'll get to come and visit again. Time is strange in Neverland. But I'll try to come at least every once in a while. I gotta go, now. Got seven boys and two girls to look after. And you two thought _one_ was a handful! Good-bye, Mom; Dad. Thanks for everything."

Before the three left, Peter turned back to the two graves. Death was something he had either never dealt with, or dealt with so very rarely, that he forgot when or how it happened. Long ago, before the current band of Lost Boys, Peter had other boys in his group. Some had left and grew up, while others had died while in Neverland. He had morned the losses then, when the deaths had happened and the memories were fresh in his mind. But with time, he forgot the deaths and the dead ones, for Neverland makes you forget all but the most necessary of memories. And the death of a grown-up rarely moved him. He had morned the loss of Wendy, John, and Michael when they had grown-up and eventually died. Even Edward, Wendy's husband and the man who took the girl away from Peter, had earned the boy's respect, something few adults could do. Peter had morned his loss as he did the Darlings.

Now, he stood with Amy, honoring her parents with flowers that no other grave could boast. He stared at the tombstone before finally speaking.

"Don't worry," he said quietly. "I'll take care of her. I promice."

"Thank you, Peter," Amy whispered, her tears threatening to return. She hugged him, glad of his closeness.

"Ready to go?" he asked. She pulled a little away to look into his chocolate eyes.

"Yes, I'm ready," she answered. Together, boy, girl, and pixie once again lifted into the air and soared into the night, returning to Neverland.

*~*~*

The three returned to the underground house, where Amy began to fix dinner. She seemed calmer now, far calmer than when she left. The boys did not dare to ask her what happened. So they asked Peter. With rare patience, the eternal boy explained about Amy's parents. He cautioned them about talking about it to Amy. She had to say a final good-bye to her parents. Talking about it might make her sad.

So the children said nothing as they were served their food that night, although Nibs and Cubby got into an arguement about who was going to get the last piece of pie.

"Ya already had _two_ pieces!" Nibs shouted at the chubby Lost Boy.

"So did _you_!" Cubby countered.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"_Not!_"

"_Too!_"

"_**NOT!**_"

"_**TOO!**_" At this, the two started to fight. Soon, the other Lost Boys joined in.

"Attent-SHUN!" Peter yelled above the din of the fighting. All the boys stopped in their tracks. They lined up automatically in front of him.

"That's better," Peter said. "Why don't we let _Amy_ have the last piece?" he smiled. He gave her a wink.

"Uh...sure," Cubby replied. The boy looked over at the Lost Boy mother, who looked tired from her trip to the "real world".

"Thank you," she smiled back. She _was_ tired, for the journey to her parents' gravesite had exhausted her physically and emotionally.

Later, that night, after the boys and Petra were vut to bed, Peter, Amy, and Marzi retired to their own room. Amy laid the sleepy little girl down on the bed, and prepared to slip in beside her. Peter was about to climb into his hammock, when he looked back at the two girls. He turned and approached the other side of the bed and got in. Amy gave him a surprised look.

"You need this tonight," he said simply. He smiled gently at her.

"Thank you," she replied. Before laying down to sleep, herself, she brushed a kiss to his cheek. Then, she snuggled down next to Marzi and closed her eyes.

Peter smiled to himself. He was begining to like the kisses Amy gave him. He shared so much with her, from the little family of Lost Children, to Neverland, itself. Being here with him --them-- made her happy, and making his friends happy made Peter happy, as well.

He knew something was going on between them; something special. For some reason, though, he did not want to admit it to himself. Maybe he was not ready. Maybe it scared him. There was no way to know for sure. Peter would _never_ admit to being afraid of _anything_ --not to anyone around him and not to himself. He reacted rashly when called a coward. He had accepted a challenge from Hook once for that reason, agreeing not to fly. Hook had managed to get Peter in a seemingly helpless position, only to have the boy turn the tables on the old pirate. Peter had only promiced not to _fly_; he had said absolutely nothing about _jumping up_ and grabbing the pirate flag to wrap the other up in.

And just what was it that Peter may, or may not, be afraid of?

Three little words that he longed to say to Amy.

"I love you."

* * *

Next: Chapter 12: A Valley Girl in Neverland. Peter brings a girl named Barbi Dell, from the San Fernando Valley. And she turns out to be Amy's cousin!

Note: Okay. So I have this book called, _Fer Shurr! How to be a Valley Girl --Totally!_ (Yes, such a book _**DOES**_ exist...) and I wanted an excuse to use it. How would Peter handle such a girl?


	12. A Valley Girl in Neverland

Chapter 12: A Valley Girl in Neverland

True to his promice, Peter Pan watched over Amy, taking care of the Lost Children's mother with surprising diligence. And if he had to be away for some reason, Petra and the boys would be charged with the task until their leader returned.

Today, the children were playing on the beach with Marzi, and Petra, Amy, and Tiger looking on. Tiger was curled on a rock, napping away in the afternoon sun. Peter was away on a trip to the "real world", to bring back another Lost Child.

A crow overhead alerted them to the return of their leader, and whoever it was that he was bringing back. A moment later, Peter landed right in front of them, along with Tinker Bell, and a strange girl. Even stranger, Amy seemed to recognize their newest recruit.

"Barbi?" Amy blinked in surprise.

"Amy?" the girl blinked back. "Like, do you _know_ this rad dude in green?"

"You _know_ her?" Peter asked Amy in surprise.

"She's my cousin, Barbi Dell," Amy answered. "You flew all the way to the San Fernando Valley?"

"'San Fernando Valley'? So _that's_ where I was! I _thought_ it looked different!"

"Where were you going, Peter?" Amy asked.

"Well, I _was_ going to Los Angeles. I thought I could find someone there that believed in magic and fairies and Neverland. But I couldn't find anyone there, so I headed north, and came to this valley with lots of houses in it."

"You tried to find a believer in LA? In Hollywood?"

"You mean that place with that really big sign made of giant letters?" he asked.

"Yeah. That's Hollywood. The land of movie-magic. I'm not surprised that you didn't find anyone that believed in real magic."

"Ohmigod, like it's really _him_?" Barbi exclaimed. "He was telling, like, the _truth_ when he said that he was 'Peter Pan'?"

"Sure!" Amy grinned at her cousin. "If you didn't believe him, why did you come with him?"

"I didn't say that I didn't believe him. But, like, what am I suppose to think when this totally tubular pre-car dude comes flying --_flying_-- into my window and offers to take me someplace called, 'Neverland'?"

"The fact that he was _flying_ didn't clue you in to something?" Amy asked, giving her cousin a cocky smile that she, herself, had gotten from Peter.

"I thought I was, like, dreaming, or something."

Peter scratched his head. He understood Amy's answers, but not Barbi's part of the conversation. Why was she saying "like" so much? And what did "tubular" and "pre-car" mean? "Dude", he deduced, must mean the same as "guy", or "male". But the rest of it, he was not so sure.

"I gotta warn you, cousin," Amy was saying. "Life here isn't going be like going to the Galleria. There's no malls, no cars, no beauty shops --so, no fills for your nails-- or any of the things you are used to. There's no microwave ovens, either. There's not even a gas stove. It's a fireplace with a kettle over it. And I expect _everyone_ to pitch in. There's no phones, either, so you won't be able to call anyone..." Barbi looked at her cousin in horror.

"Like, you mean, we're totally roughing it? Like camping, or something?" the girl asked.

"Yep!" Amy smiled. "But I've been doing it for five years, now."

"'Five years!'" Barbi repeated, looking at her cousin in wonder and horror. "And you don't mind?"

"Why should I mind?" aksed her. "Come on, I'll show you the underground house."

"'Underground house'? Ohmigod, like, what are we --moles?"

"She's going to take awhile to get used to life in Neverland," Peter commented to Petra and the Lost Boys. They nodded their agreement as Peter lifted Marzi into his arms and followed the two girls.

*~*~*

As Peter thought, it was taking a long time for Barbi to become ingrained into life in Neverland. She did not seem to want to do any work that even _looked_ like it would spoil her nails, or ruin her hair. They managed to find some little something for her to do, mainly, looking after Marzi while Amy was tending to meals and her other tasks.

Barbi was a little stunned when she found out where Amy slept.

"You, like, sleep with _him_?"

"Well, in his room. Mostly with Marzi. Peter's usually in his hammock. But if something happens, and Marzi is frieghtened or something, Peter will sleep on the other side of her on the bed with us. But Marzi is _always_ between us. We know our limits, Barbi."

"I should, like, hope so," the other girl commented. She shared Petra's room with the eternal girl.

If Barbi thought living with Peter Pan would be --interesting-- just wait until she met Captain Hook and the pirates!

*~*~*

They were at the beach again, pretending to dig for buried treasure. Of course, when they were finished, they would fill the hole back in, but for the moment, the boys were digging like crazy, attempting to find some kind of treasure that might be hidden beneath the sand. Usually, when they played this game, they would find nothing. On occation, however, they would find some trinket or some little something.

Barbi sat on a rock, filing her nails with a file from her "Emergency Nail Kit". She still wore her pink mini-skirt, pink and white tank top, white leotard, pink headband, and pink ballet flats. Peter had not told her that there was a beach (maybe she was suppose to assume that, since Neverland was an island...), so she had left her swimsuit behind.

"Actually," Amy was telling Peter, "the Valley Girl craze has pretty much gone the way of the vinyl record. It started in the 1980's, and has since lost favor. Apparently, Barbi loved the culture so much, she never let it go."

"It's not a culture that could survive here in Neverland," Peter replied, his arms crossed.

"Are you going to take her back?" Petra asked.

"If she asks to go back, yes. I won't _make_ her leave, and I won't _keep_ her here, either. I'll let _her_ decide."

While they were talking, Captain Hook and his pirates were creeping through the underbrush of the woods surrounding the beach. He knew that Pan and his band liked to play treasure hunt, whether on the beach, or otherwise. And there they were, along with their "mother", and even a new girl. Capturing the lot would be as easy as walking the plank. SLowly, carefully, the pirates crept into position, ready to strike.

Back at the beach, the boys actually found something. It was a small, golden statue, and looked like it was Eqyptian in origin. The children gathered around, looking at the small statue.

"Looks like it's Isis, the Egyptian goddess of magic and motherhood," Amy said. "She was the wife of Osiris, the ruler of the Egyptian land of the dead, and mother to Horus, the falcon-headed god. A very important goddess in anchient Egypt."

"Wow!" Cubby let his mouth remain open as he gazed at the little doll-like golden form.

"What'll we _do_ with it, Peter?" Nibs asked. He looked up at his leader, who stood between him and Amy.

"You _could_ give it to us," a voice suggested. The children turned to look, only to find Captain Hook and the pirates surrounding them, their weapons drawn. Lightning fast, Peter drew his own dagger.

"Feeling a little bit of de-ja vu, Pan?" Hook asked. "Ah, but _de-ja vu_ is the _illusion_ that you've been somewhere before, or experienced a certain thing before, and if I recall, I _have_ had you surrounded like this before. You and your little 'girlfriend'." He meant, of course, Amy. Both boy and girl blushed, feeling a little uncomfortable. Or maybe it was the _way_ Hook was saying it that embarressed Peter and Amy.

_S/he _is_ my boy/girlfriend!_ they told themselves, unaware that they were thinking pretty much the same thought.

"Like, what kind of groady to the max skanky geek is this?" Barbi asked, staring at Captain Hook.

"Wwwhhaattt????" Hook's eyes widened as he shifted his attention to the pink and white-clad girl.

"Like, I'm shurr!" Barbi chomped on a wad of gum she was chewing on. "Like, bag the tude, dude! That look is like, soooo Joanie! I mean, like, check out the Galleria, why don'tcha?"

"What are you talking about?" Hook stared at the girl as if she was crazy. The pirates lowered their weapons in confusion.

"That's what _I_ want to know," Peter added, just as confused as the pirates.

"Like, this jel is soooo lame."

Hook growled, getting the feeling that Barbi was insulting him. It did not help matters much that her language was totally out of his realm of understanding. He lifted his hook, ready to silence this odd-speaking female.

The hook was intercepted by Peter's dagger. By then, Petra had drawn her sword, and the Lost Boys had brought out their own weapons. Even Amy armed herself with one of the shovels the boys had been using to dig with. The bigger children formed a ring around Barbi and Marzi.

"What's the sitch with this slimeball?" Barbi asked.

"Barbi, meet Captain Hook of the pirate ship, _Jolly Roger_," Peter sighed. "Captain Hook, meet Barbi Dell from the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California, United States of America."

"An American," sneered Hook. "I thought so."

"Excuse much, rude or anything?" Barbi responded.

Hook swung his sword at Peter, who blocked it easily with his dagger. The pirates closed in to attack the Lost Boys, who was ready with their weapons --wooden swords, slingshots, rubberband shooting toy guns, etc. Amy handed Barbi the shovel, and assumed a karate pose.

"What am I going to do with _this_?!" Barbi asked, holding the shovel at arm's length, as if it was something distainful.

"Fight with it," Amy answered. Without any weapons or martial arts skills, the shovel would be Barbi's best bet.

Barbi found that out when a pirate went for her. Still keeping the shovel at arm's length, she swung it at the pirate. The way she was holding it, there was little momentum. The pirate was knocked down, but not out. He was back up in a moment.

Barbi hit him again, this time with a little more force. The pirate was laid out flat on his stomach, his arms and legs spread out.

The fight only lasted several minutes, with the pirate retreating. Two pirates picked up the pirate Barbi had knocked out and dragged him back to the ship, leaving the children to celebrate their victory.

"Is everyone alright?" Dusty jingled. He was ready with a bag of Healing Dust, in case someone was injured.

"Looks like everyone is okay," Amy said, after checking the Lost Children.

"I'm not!" Barbi said. Dusty flew to her, only to see her looking at her nails.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked, turning her attention to her cousin.

"I broke a nail!" Barbi huffed. The others just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

After filling the hole back in, they returned home. The golden statue of Isis would be put among their treasures.

*~*~*

"Are you _sure_ you want to go?" Amy asked Barbi. The Valley Girl was packing for the return trip home.

"I can't stay here!" Barbi insisted. "I don't belong in Neverland! My nails are broken --I think I may have _one_ left-- and my hair looks like I stuck my finger in light socket! And I need new clothes, and a total trip to the Dermatologist. And I totally need a bikini wax. This just isn't the place for me."

"I said that I won't keep her here against her will," Peter said, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. "I never have."

"I'm going to miss having you here," Amy frowned. The Lost Boys were also wearing expressions of saddness. They begain sniffing, attempting to keep from crying.

"I'll miss everybody, too. But I belong back in the Valley. I'll be in high school this coming school year. Like it or not, I'm on the edge of growing up, and I need to keep going that way."

Peter's expression darknened when Barbi said the words, "growing up", but did not allow it to upset him. Deep inside his heart, he knew she was right. Amy would stay with him because she was still a good ways from the "edge of growing up", as Barbi put it. But Barbi was already using make-up, and worried about her nails, hair, clothes, etc. He would take her home.

"Ready?" he asked as she finished packing.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Barbi answered. She gave the Lost Children a final fairwell. Then, Tinker Bell sprinkled her with pixie dust, and she, Peter, and Tink flew out of the underground house.

*~*~*

It was hours later when Peter and Tink returned. The boys were already in bed, but some food had been left out for them on the table. They ate in silence, then when to their rooms to bed.

Amy and Marzi was already asleep. Peter smiled gently, then gave each a kiss good-night. Making sure they were still asleep, the eternal boy climbed into his hammock. Soon, he, too, was asleep.

* * *

Note: Yes, Barbi Dell is a play on Barbie Doll.

Next: Chapter 13: Snowbound! A strange snowstorm has hit Neverland. Where did all the snow come from? And how long will Neverland be covered in its blanket of white? It's up to Peter and the kids to find out.

Note: There really isn't any plot to this fic. Think of the whole thing like a T.V. show, and each chapter like one episode.


	13. Snowbound!

Chapter 13: Snowbound!

Peter shivered when he woke up one morning. It was oddly colder than it normally was. While being underground was much cooler than on the surface, it had never been _this_ cold before. Peter hugged his arms in attempt to get warm, then turned his attention to the two girls in the bed nearby.

Amy and Marzi was wrapped in the fur cover, but still seemed to shiver in the cold. Peter hopped out of the hammock and sprinted over to the bed. Carefully, he shook Amy awake.

"Hmmm..." Amy groaned as she struggled to wake up. "What is it, Peter?"

"It's colder in here than it should be," he answered. "Do you feel cold?"

"Yeah," she answered. She tried to cover herself back up. "It's very cold."

"That's not normal for Neverland," Peter said. "Neverland is a tropical island. By all rights, it should be just cool enough down here to contrast the warmth on top. Only the mountains should be _this_ cold."

"Do you think something's wrong?" Amy was now awake, giving Peter her full attention.

"Maybe. Get Marzi and come into the main room. It'll be warmer in there. I'll get Petra and Dusty." Peter walked out, followed by Amy and Marzi.

Soon, the Neverland family were all in the main part of the underground house. The boys were all awake now, and a fire was lit in the fireplace. As Amy and Petra got breakfast ready, the children discussed the strange coldness.

"What could have happened?" Amy asked.

"I don't know," Peter admitted. "We've never really experienced winter before. Oh, we know that it's cold, and and that everything is covered in snow. But winter has never really come to Neverland."

"Are you sure that's what's happening?" Petra asked. "Have you been outside yet?"

"No," Peter admitted. "And I'm not really dressed for cold weather."

"One of _us_ could go see," Nibs suggested. "We're dressed in fur. We won't be as cold."

"Well..." Peter cocked his head in thought.

"Do we have anything approaching a window?" Amy asked. "If we do, then all we need to do is look out the window."

"She's right," Petra smiled. "And I think we have a few opennings that could be considered windows. Well-closed and hidden, but we could easily look out of them to see what's going on."

"I'll look," Tink jingled. She flew toward one of the small tunnels. As she flew through the tunnel toward her destination, the blonde pixie came upon the little puddle that floated in the _ceiling_ of the underground house. Somehow, the water in the little puddle remained where it was, even though the bottom of the puddle was open to the tunnel, and the fish that swam in it could peek at whoever was walking below them.

Now, however, the puddle was frozen over, and the little fish were trapped in the ice. Alarmed, Tink continued her journey to the window.

When she arrived, the pixie looked out of the hole, covered only by a leaf. Even if an enemy was in the area, the hole could not be traced back to Peter's underground home, and no one but a pixie could fit inside.

What Tink saw outside made her gasp in surprise. Quickly, she flew back to report her findings to Peter. Something very strange had happened to Neverland, and something had to be done about it as soon as possible.

*~*~*

"What?" Peter listened in disbelief as Tinker Bell told him about what she found.

"What did she say, Peter?" Nibs asked.

"She says that Neverland is covered in snow! And it looks like it's several feet high!"

"But yesterday, it was warm and pleasent out," Amy said. "How did it snow so quickly, and become so deep overnight?"

"Only one thing could do this," Peter answered. "Queen Crystal, the ruler of the Ice Kingdom, is walking around Neverland. She is a kind, good lady, but for the most part stays in her ice kingdom. Occationally, though, she comes out for awhile. It would be like staying here in the underground house for weeks at a time, never going outside. You get tired and bored. That's what must have happened to her. Who knows how long she'll stay outside. But she doesn't come out often, so we just cope with the cold. When she returns to her ice caves, it'll warm up extremely quickly. Amy, you check the food stores, see how much we got left. Slightly, you check the firewood. Petra, check the water supply. Dusty, you make sure we have enough medicine, and make more if we're low."

"We should make winter clothes for those of us that need them," Amy suggested. "We don't know for how long we're going to be snowed in like this."

"Good idea," Peter smiled. "Nibs, check the room where we keep the furs and leather we sometimes get from the Indians during trades. There _should_ be enough to make warmer clothes out of."

As the Lost Children went about their assigned tasks, Marzi toddled over to Peter and held out her hands toward him. He picked her up and held her.

Marzi seemed worried. She was sure something had happened, something bad, but she was not sure what it was. But everyone seemed to be preparing for something. She laid her head on Peter's shoulder.

"It's going to be all right, Marzi," Peter whispered to her. He stroked her hair to comfort her. "It's just snow and winter. Nothing to worry about. It's nice and warm in here. Everyone will be safe." He knew that it was not something that could be taken care of easily, and that --should their supplies be low-- the situation could become very serious.

"Food stores seem to be okay for now," Amy reported. But we'll have to be very carefull, and ration what we have, so that it can last a long time. We may all have to eat soup everyday until it warms up again."

"Our water supply is full," Petra added. "Of course, refilling the water will be easy, should we need to. All we need is collect some snow, and melt it for water."

"Firewood's okay, too," Slightly reported in. "The firewood box is full to the ceiling."

"The Healing Dust was a little low," Dusty said, "so I added more. The Healing Dust is full, now."

"Good," Peter smiled. "That means we're in good shape as far as supplies go."

"I found plenty of furs and leather to make winter clothes," Nibs said. His arms were full of the materal.

"Good," Peter replied. "Amy, can you sew?"

"Sure. I had to do it all the time back in California." Amy intentionally avoided saying, "back home", but no one questioned her about it.

"Then make some winter clothes for you, Petra, Marzi, Tink, Dusty, and myself. Just in case we have to go outside during this winter. 

"Let's get started, then," Amy said. Peter put Marzi down on the main bed, then stood straighter, allowing Amy to measure him for his new winter clothes. Then, she began her work.

*~*~*

Peter was now dressed in a gray/white fur version of his regular clothes. The shirt had long sleeves, and a pair of mittens covered his hands. Instead of his "pixie shoes", Peter wore fur boots. His fur shirt had a fur-rimmed hood attached to it, which he would wear instead of his green hat. There was even a furred belt, with a fur sheath for his dagger. Petra, Amy, Dusty, Marzi, and Tink were dressed in simular clothes.

"Now," Petra smiled, "if we _have_ to go out in this weather, we'll be dressed for the cold."

"Yes,' Peter agreed. "But until then, let's change back into our regular clothes. Right now, I'm _too_ warm."

The others agreed, and went to change their clothes. The Lost Boys had their own, less furry clothes for hot days. Mostly shorts and t-shirts, presents from a grown Jane. THe children gathered around the main bed as Amy prepared to tell them a story.

"This story is from ancient Greek Mythology," she told them. "It's the story of how the seasons came to be."

"The Greeks believed that gods and goddesses ruled over everything in the world. These deities looked like humans --well, except for one, but he doesn't appear in this story-- and even had human faults.

"Demeter was the goddess of grains, fruit, and other plants humans used for eatting. She made sure every growing thing was healthy for people to eat. A bad harvest usually meant that Demeter was upset with the people.

"Demeter had a daughter named Persephone, --who was sometimes called 'Kore', or 'the maiden'-- who represented flowers and young plants. Persephone loved to roam around in fields and meadows with her friends, picking flowers all day long.

"From the Underworld, where the dead was said to go, Hades, the ruler of the dead, watched the girls as they played. The gloomy god of the dead fell in love with the beautiful Persephone. Coming up with a plan, he first went to Zeus, his brother and king of the gods and goddesses, and asked for his permission. Zeus said 'Okay'. Hades then began his plan.

"Hades knew that Persephone liked to pick flowers, so he created a beautiful, but strange, flower and placed it where he knew she would be. When the girls came to pick flowers, Persephone wandered away from the other other girls. Soon, she came upon the flower.

"'What a lovely flower!' she exclaimed. She plucked the flower from the ground. But as soon as she did so, the ground openned up, and Hades popped up and grabbed her. He took her to the Underworld.

"Meanwhile, when the girls returned without Persephone, Demeter became worried. But the girls had not seen her all day. Demeter immediantly began to search for her daughter. She searched for a long time, but could not find her.

"Finally, she went to visit Apollo and asked him if he had seen Persephone.

"'Yes, I have,' he said. Then, he told her what happened. Demeter, in dispair, neglected her duties and allowed the Earth to grow cold and the plants to wither and die.

"Zeus got worried, and sent for Demeter. She told him that, until Persephone was returned to her, noting on Earth would grow.

"This worried Zeus, so he sent Hermes, his messenger, to the underworld to bring the girl back.

"When Hermes told Hades that he had to give back Persephone, Hades hit upon a plan to keep her. In the Underworld, if someone eats or drinks anything, they have to stay in the Underworld. So he went and told Persephone that she was going back, but maybe she should eat something first. He tried to get her to eat, but she would not touch anything, so eager to get back to her mother was she. Finally, he offered her a pomegranate, of which she only at about six --some sources say seven-- seeds.

"When Hermes returned with Persephone, there was a real big reunion with Demeter. Finally, though, Demeter asked if Persephone had eatten anything in the Underworld. Persephone had to admit that she had eatten six seeds of a pomegranate. Hades appeared and claimed Persephone as his wife, for, by law, she had eatten food from the Underworld, and must live forever with him.

"Demeter declared that, if Persephone was not returned to her, the Earth would be forever cold and barren. Zeus could not have that, so he made a compromise: For each seed that she ate, Persephone would stay in the Underworld for one month. For the other six months, she could stay with Demeter.

"For the six months that Persephone is in the Underworld, Demeter grieves, and the Earth is cold and barren, and hardly anything will grow. But when Persephone returns to the world above for the next six months, everything becomes warm again, and plants grow and flourish once more.

"And that, according to the ancient Greeks, is why we have Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer," Amy finished with a smile.

"That's a great story," Peter smiled. The others voiced their agreement.

"There are a lot of stories in Greek Mythology. In fact," Amy looked at Peter slyly, "your own last name is from ancient Greek Myths."

"Huh?" Now, Peter looked at her, puzzled.

"'Pan' was the name of the Greek god of the fields, worshipped mostly by shepherds. Although, King Midas --the king with the golden touch-- was also said to worship him. Anyway, the Greek Pan was the son of Hermes and an unnamed woman. He was a satuar --part man, part goat-- and played a certain instrument."

"The 'panpipes'?" Peter grinned back.

"Yep!" Amy gave him a little kiss on his cute little nose. "There were sevral stories about him. But we'll save that for another time. Time now to fix something to eat." She immediantly went to the kitchen.

Lunch, and later dinner, was soup, which she kept warm in the big pot over the fire. That night, the boys slept wherever they could find, while Petra slept in Peter's chair. Peter, Amy, and Marzi shared the bed --at the Lost Boys' insistance.

*~*~*

Neverland's sudden winter did not last long --just about two weeks. As soon as Queen Crystal returned to her caves, the snow and ice melted and all of Neverland warmed up again.

Peter and Amy planned on setting up a larger pantry, for when another unexpected winter hit Neverland. They learned how to preserve food from the Indians, and soon, everyone was helping. Every so often, they would clean out the pantry, throwing away anything that was past the extended expiration time, using those that was on the edge of the expiration time, and restocking with new food. In time, there would be other surprise winters. And Peter and his friends would be ready.

* * *

Next: Chapter 14: Marzi's Pixie. Peter, returning from a visit from the King and Queen of the fairies, carries a pink, pearlized egg. The egg is for Marzi, who must care for it --with help from Peter and the others-- until it hatches with a pixie for the little girl. But what will the pixie be like?


	14. Marzi's Pixie

Chapter 14: Marzi's Pixie

"It's odd," Amy thought out loud. She and Petra was checking the stores of preserved food, cleaning out any that had gone bad.

"What is?" Petra asked.

"That fresh food --meat, bread, fruits, vegtables, etc.-- doesn't ever spoil here in Neverland, but preserved foods --beef jerkey and the like-- only remain good for a certain amount of time."

"That's because the process used in preserving the food destroys the magic that protects it from spoiling."

"Then, wouldn't it be better to keep the food as it is? It would keep longer."

"True," Petra smiled. "But preserving food is part of the Indian way of life. To _not_ preserve the food would just seem --well-- wrong to the Indians."

Amy was about to respond, when little Marzi came into the room, looking for Peter.

"Where Peter go?" Marzi asked, pouting. She had not seen her "big brother" for hours.

"He went to Fairyland," Amy answered. "To visit the King and Queen. The messenger said that it was important for Peter to be there."

"When will he come back?" the child asked.

"He should be back soon."

"I hope so."

"Don't worry, Marzi," Petra put in with a smile. "Peter'll be back before tonight, I'm sure."

*~*~*

Peter flew back to the underground house, conflicting thoughts running through his mind. In his hands, he held a small, pink, pearlized egg, which he carried very carefully.

_What did the king and queen mean when they said, "A gift of magic to a child of a child"?_ Peter thought. _I don't understand that at all! Well, I'll ask Amy. Maybe _she'll_ know._

The puzzle continued to bother him as he continued toward his hidden home. "A child of a child" the Fairy King and Queen had said. How is that possible? A child _cannot_ have a child! They can have brothers and sisters that are children, but they cannot have children themselves! It was impossible!

But Neverland was an island of all possiblilities. What is impossible in the "Real World", could very well be possible in Neverland. Even "a child of a child".

He held the egg more firmly, determined to solve the mystery that had been handed to him.

*~*~*

"'A gift of magic to a child of a child'?" Amy repeated. Peter sat on his throne, studimg the shimmering pearled egg, the puzzle still rattling inside his head, searching for an answer.

"Yeah," he replied. "But that's impossible, isn't it? A child can't have a child. Right?"

"Normally," Amy agreed. "But if we think this out, you may be surprised at the answer."

"What do you mean?" Petra asked. She stood by her twin's chair, gazing at the egg in his head.

"'A child of a child', Peter," Amy smiled. "For five years, Marzi has been among us. Before I came, how was her needs taken care of?"

"_We_ took care of her," Peter answered. "The Lost Boys, Petra, Tink, Dusty, and me."

"When I first came, though, who did she cling to? Who was the one person in all those who cared for her that she went to when she needed comfort, needed to be protected?"

"Peter," Nibs replied. The others nodded.

"Yeah," Slightly agreed. "Peter made her baby food for her, mashing bananas and other fruit, and she only let Peter feed her, and she slept with Peter all the time --but you already know she did that..."

"Yes," Amy smiled. "For the most part, _Peter_ became her guardian...almost like a...parent?"

The Lost Children gasped and their eyes went wide as the puzzle began to fall into place. Amy was right: Peter _had_ been like a parent for Marzi. Like a father. No matter how much he protested, how much he denied it, the Eternal Youth had taken on the paternal responsiblilies for the child. Just as Amy had become "Mother", Peter had just as surely become "Father".

"No," Peter whispered softly. "Fathers are grown-ups. I am _not_ a grown-up. I will _never_ be a grown-up."

"That's the thing about you, Peter," Amy said. She stood from her own chair and came over to him. "You don't _have_ to be a grown-up to care for someone. Even if you had not brought me --or anyone else, for that matter-- to be 'Mother', _you_ would've taken care of her. You're not her father in the literal since, but you _are_ her guardian. Her protecter. You --and we-- are her new family. If we are Marzi's 'parents', it's _symbolicly_, not _literally_."

"Marzi is truely a 'child of a child', then," Peter whispered softly. He absentmindedly rubbed the smooth surface of the egg, wondering in the back of his mind what could be inside it.

"Yes," Amy smiled. She placed her hand over his, forcing the boy to look at her. "And can the great and powerful king of Neverland, Peter Pan, handle this, his greatest adventure to date?" Her smile and tone was challengling, daring him to take up the adventure she offered.

"As long as no one calls me 'Father' in any way, shape, or form," Peter grinned back.

"Deal!" Amy laughed. For a moment, their eyes locked, as they had often done before. Blushing, Peter returned his attention to the egg.

"This egg is for Marzi, then," he said. "If she is a 'child of a child', as the Fairy King and Queen said. But what it contains, I don't know. All they said was that it was magic."

"Then Marzi will just have to take care of it until it hatches," Amy replied. She looked over toward the little girl. Marzi toddled over to Peter, to look at the object he held.

"This is for you, Marzi," Peter said. "You have to take care of it. I don't know when, but it will someday hatch, and something special will come out for you. But it must come out on its own. You can't just break the egg and get it. Do you understand?"

"I think so," she answered. "Hatch the egg, and something for me will come out. I'll keep it nice and warm." Marzi found a scrap of fur left over from the strange winter they had recently had and wrapped it around the egg. She held it one hand, the other arm hold that arm as if it were a doll. Wrapped as it was, and held close to the child's body, the egg was perfectly safe.

Peter, Amy, and the others watched as Marzi cared for the magical gift as if it was a baby. Peter could not help but smile as he thought of the first time he had seen the little girl that day on Neverland's beach. Who would have thought that coming to the aid of the small child would have brought him so much!

They would help Marzi take care of the egg, of course, giving her advice and showing her some tricks that could make care for the egg much easier. But the hatching of the egg would be left completely up the the little girl. How _well_ she cared for it would determine just _what_ would hatch from it.

*~*~*

Day-after-day, Marzi watched over the pink egg, making sure it was warm all the time, and keeping it from breaking. There had been a close call early on, when Marzi had to put down the egg. She had put it down on the table, intending to continue her vigil as soon as her task was done. But she must not have set it right, for almost as soon as she had set it down, the egg had began to roll off the table. Had it not been for Petra's quick action, the egg would have hit the floor, shattering it, and spilling the unborn contents all over the floor. Marzi was a lot more careful with it after that.

Prehaps that's why it hatched so quickly, and Marzi's magic surprise was so wonderful.

*~*~*

It was shortly after breakfast when it happened. The table had just been cleared, and the dishes cleaned and put away. The children were getting ready for another outing --a day with the mermaids. Peter would make sure that the mermaids behaved, so it would be safe for the girls.

Marzi sat on Peter's throne, holding her egg, with Peter watching over her. She rocked gently, as if rocking a baby, and sang a lulliby.

Suddenly, the egg began to glow pink and grew warm in her hands. She had to grab a piece of think leather to hold it with because it got too warm for her to handle. As it glowed, it began to shake.

"What's wrong with it?" she asked Peter, holding the egg up for him to see.

"Nothing's _wrong_ with it," he answered. "It's time for it to hatch."

When they heard that, Amy and the others came closer. They crowded around Marzi and Peter, anxious to see what would come out of the egg.

Cracks of light appeared on the egg, growing by the second. Pink light escaped from the inside, bathing all in range in its glow.

Prehaps they expected an explosion, then the whatever-it-was would burst out of the egg violently. If that's what they were expecting, they were either going to be very disapointed or very relieved.

What _really_ happened was that the eggshell cracked open completely, then fell away, revealing a ball of pink light. The light dimmed to a level where everyone could see what --or _who_ was giving off the light.

Standing in the debris of the egg, supported by Marzi's hand was a beautiful pixie!

She looked a lot like Tinkerbell, and even had her hair in the same hairstyle. But _this_ pixie had red hair, set with a wide, Greek-style gold tiara. Her wings was pale pink, and she wore a deep pink, one shouldered Greek dress. The bottom hem was in points, like Tink's, but had a trim of gold. There was also gold trim at the neckline, and a belt of gold cord, crossed over the stomach area. On her feet were gold, Greek sandals with each gold ribbons double-crossed up her legs. To complete the outfit, she wore gold armbands and wristbands. As soon as she saw Marzi, she began to jingle a "Hello!".

"Hello," the little girl answered. "She says that her name is Eos."

"Eos was the Greek goddess of the dawn," Amy said. "She led the way for Apollo, the sun god. That's a very pretty name."

"You're very lucky, Marzi," Peter smiled. "Not every child get's a pixie of their own. I wonder what kind of magic she can do."

"What do you mean, 'what kind of magic'?" Amy asked. "Doesn't she have the same magic as Tink?"

"Yes, but each pixie also has something special. Tinkerbell's magic is for fixing pots and pans. That's _why_ she's called '_Tinker_bell'. Dusty's magic is healing. He's a Healer Pixie. But what is Eos' special magic?"

The pink pixie jingled her answer, and the children listened carefully. Tink and Dusty looked at each other and gave an understanding grin.

"She says that her special magic can bring pictures to life," Peter said.

"Let's see," Amy replied. She fumbled in her backback and brought out a deck of cards. She thumbed through them, until she found what she was looking for. She showed the card to the others.

"This card is from a card game called 'Duel Monsters'," she explained. "This card is called, 'Fairy's Gift'." The children saw a gold --but not metalic-- card with a picture of a green fairy. Above the picture was the card name, a yellow circle with a Japanese character and the word "Light", and four red-orange circles, each with a yellow star. Under the picture was the words, "Spellcaster" and "_This flying monster is know for delivering happiness to all_" There was also a series of letters and numbers that read, "ATK/1400 DEF/1000". Immediantly, Eos dusted it, causing it to glow pink. In a glow of light, the fairy on the card flew off the paper, becoming a living, three-dimentional creature. As soon as it appeared, the fairy flew around the room, sprinkling everyone with her own dust. The children felt wonderfully happy. Tiger acted as if effected by catnip.

The fairy faded away, being only a product of the card. Eos then sprinkled the rest of Amy's deck, moving into her backback. When she came out, she jingled something to Peter.

"She says that she has given your cards the ability to become real, but only at your command," he translated.

"You mean, if I wanted the character on a card --let's say, Lady of Faith-- she would become real?"

"For a short time, yes," Peter answered. "But you will always be able to call upon the powers of that card, anytime you want."

"Wow!" Amy blinked. Peter grinned.

"Yep!" he replied.

Eos flew over to Marzi and landed on her shoulder. The very tiny pixie gave the little girl a tiny kiss on the cheek. Marzi giggled because the kiss tickled.

They forgot about going out that day, so excited about the new pixie were they. All day, Peter gave Marzi lessons about pixies, so that she could understand what they could do --and what they could _not_ do. Pixies were not all-powerful --not even the king and queen. They had to eat and sleep, too. They could get sick, injured, and even die. The most important lesson Peter taught Marzi, however, was to always believe in faries. For whenever a child says "I don't believe in faries," there is always a fairy, somewhere, that drops down, dead. Tink reinforced this by relating the story of how she, herself, almost died when Jane --Wendy Darling's daughter-- had said those very words, only to be revived when the girl relented and finally believed. Peter, of course, translated for Amy, who was the only one that did not understand fairy language.

That night, Marzi slept with Eos close by. Peter and Amy could only watch the child sleeping peacefully, dreaming about her new pixie, no doubt. There would be plenty of adventures with the new fairy, and Amy would join the battle against Hook with her new, magical deck of cards. Hook has _never_ seen characters and creatures like _these_ before!

* * *

I do not own Duel Monsters. That belongs to Wizards of the Coast. I just thought that I'd give Amy a little firepower. ^_~

Next: Chapter 15: Peter's Injury. Peter is injured, and in order for Amy to look after him, she has to share the bed with him --_without_ Marzi! This is the closest she has been to him physically in all the time she has been in Neverland. What happens when they get _extremely_ close?


	15. Peter's Injury

Note: I'm going to see how far I can take Peter and Amy's relationship without going _too_ far.

Chapter 15: Peter's Injury

"Great places you take me to, Peter!" Amy commented.

"Then _you_ pick the place for our next date!" he shouted back.

"_This_ is your idea of a _date_?!?"

"You said that was needed to go someplace fun!" he grinned at her.

"In the middle of a battle with the pirates was _not_ what I had in mind!"

Peter just laughed as he lept into the air, just narrowally missed being hit by a cannonball. Amy had joked about the two of them being a little young to go out on a date, and Peter had asked, "Don't you think we're a bit big to sit on a little piece of fruit?" Amy had to explain that the "date" she was talking about was a romantic evening shared between a male and a female.

Naturtally, this had given Peter an idea. Dangerous thing, due to how Peter's imagination worked. To him, "fun" was adventure, and his favorite adventure was fighting with Captain Hook and the pirates.

So here the two were, hovering in mid-air and dropping water bombs on the _Jolly Roger_. Peter's idea, of course. No way would Amy come up with something like that.

She was helping, however. She was having the playfull, child-like Aqua Spirit from her Duel Monsters Cards make the water bombs. Fortunatly, as long as the Duel Monster was out and _doing_ something, she would not fade away.

Peter had just dropped another water bomb on the pirates when it happened. Someone down there must have had pretty decent eyesight and was a good shot because neither saw it coming. One moment, Peter was hovering in the air, laughing at the drenched pirates, the next, he was screaming in pain, clutching his side. He began to fall toward the ground.

"Peter!" Amy cried. She dived down to rescue him. Behind her, no longer needed, the Aqua Spirit faded away, to be summoned some other time.

Having caught the falling boy before he hit the ground, Amy flew to the emergency shelter where they had gone during the storm, so long ago.

*~*~*

Amy laid Peter on the bed, carefully removing his shirt. She quickly examined the wound, fretting over what to do.

"Amy..." he said weakly.

"Peter?" she looked at him with eyes full of fear.

"How bad is it?"

"Bad," she replied. "I can see the musketball in the wound."

"Not too bad, then," he mused, half to himself. "You should be able to remove it."

"'Remove it'?" she did not understand. "But how can I...?"

"Just do what I tell you," he said. "Grab my dagger and heat it up. You have to light a candle for that. Better mix up a little Healing Dust Paste while you're at it," he pointed to the bag of Dusty's Healing Dust that Amy always carried. "Don't worry: I'll survive. Just do it quickly."

Amy mixed the paste, then heated the dagger, as Peter told her to do.

"That's enough," he said after a few mintues. "Now," he continued, "you are going to use my dagger to remove that musketball from my side. As soon as it comes out, use the cloth to stop the bleeding. When the bleeding has stopped, put the paste on the wound and bind it with bandages. I have to tell you all this before we start, because you'll have to stuff my cap into my mouth. This is going to _**HURT**_ --very baddly! If I'm gagged, I won't distract you." With that, Peter grabbed the edge of the bed, waiting for Amy to start.

Amy stuffed Peter's green cap into his mouth, then prepared to dig out the small, metal ball out of his flesh.

As soon as the heated blade touched the raw wound, Amy felt the boy tense up in a silent scream. Keeping her attention on her task, Amy continued her operation on Peter's side.

Finally, after what must have felt like an eternity to both Peter _and_ Amy, the metal ball popped out of the wound. Quickly disguarding the dagger, Amy staunched the flow of blood, then applied the paste, and bandaged the wound tightly. When she was done, Amy looked at Peter's face.

No longer tensed with pain, Peter's features were relaxed, although his hair and skin were dampened with sweat. Amy quickly removed the cap from his mouth, then ran to the water supply and cleaned her hands, for Peter needed water, and there was only _one_ way to get it into him.

Taking a clean cup and filling it with water, Amy dipped her finger into the cup, then applied it to Peter's lips. The water went past his lips and ran down his throat, cooling it. Amy repeated this until the cup was empty. She then put water in a bowl and cleaned off Peter's hair and skin of the sweat.

Exhausted, Amy climbed into the bed beside Peter, moving close to his unwounded side. She held his hand as she drifted off to sleep, knowing that she had done all she could for the eternal youth.

*~*~*

Amy awoke the next morning, and the first thing she did was check on Peter. She sighed in relief when she saw him resting comfortably.

She got up and began to prepare soup for when he woke up. For a while, the soup would be all that he could eat, even though he would be completely healed in five days.

The aroma of the cooking food woke Peter, who looked over to the fireplace where Amy was cooking. The smell of meat and vegtables reminded him that he had not eatten since early yesterday. Suddenyl, his stomach protested its emptyness --loud and clear!

Amy heard the grumbling of Peter's stomach and whirled around to see about him. As soon as she saw that his eyes were open and looking at her, Amy forced a smile and approached the bed.

"How are you feeling, Peter?" she asked.

"Better than I was last night," he answered weakly. "Still hurts, but there's not as much pain as there was before. And," he added with a weak grin, "I'm hungry."

"Soup's almost ready," she smiled back. She held his hand for a moment, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. Carefully, she stood up and went back to the soup.

When it was ready, she spooned some into a bowl and brought it to him.

"Can you sit up?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he replied. "Dusty's magic works fast, but not _that_ fast."

"Then how are we going to do this...?" she wondered aloud. She knelt beside the bed. Carefully, she dipped her finger in the bowl and but it to his lips.

Peter subconciously remembered feeling something like this when he was unconcious. He looked over to Amy.

"Did you give me water last night, like this?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered, startled. "How...?"

"I think I _felt_ you touching my lips with something cold and wet. But that's all I remember of it."

Amy dipped her finger into the soup again and continued to feed Peter. When Peter tired of eatting, he went back to sleep.

While he slept, Amy cleaned and mended his shirt. When he was ready for more soup, she fed him again. Before it was time for bed that night, Peter showed signs of regaining his strength.

As she had the night before, Amy climbed into bed with Peter, holding his hand. The boy was surprised by the action. She was actually so close that she was _touching_ him!

"I slept with you like this last night, too," she explained.

"Amy...I..."

"Shhh..." she shushed him, giving him a kiss. "Time to sleep." Both boy and girl drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*

"The wound is healing very quickly, Peter," Amy said. She was changing the bandages on his side.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'll be able to fly again tomorrow."

"I'm glad," Amy smiled as she finished with the bandages. She then gave him a hug.

"What was _that_ for?" Peter laughed.

"Just because," Amy smiled.

Peter did not question further. They were too young to be lovers, per se, but they had the feelings for each other that they would have if they were older.

They spent the day talking, or exersizing Peter's legs. That night, for the first time since he was shot, Peter laid on his side --his _**GOOD**_ side, of course. Amy laid on her side, as well, facing him.

There was something bothering Amy, and she decided to ask Peter about it.

"Peter," she began. "I was wondering: How did you know what to do about the musketball? You've never been known as a medical person."

"I learned from an old ex-pirate I met sometime ago," he answered. "Sometimes, one or more of the Lost Boys will get shot, and I have to dig the ball out. It's the _only_ surgery I can do."

"I guess it comes in handy," Amy commented.

"Yes, it does," Peter smiled. He reached over and took her hard in his. He seemed to want to say something, but could not get it out. He blushed, his thoughts on the girl with him.

They drifted off to sleep, just gazing at each other.

*~*~*

"Where have you two been?!" Petra cried when Peter and Amy returned to the underground house. The Lost Boys, Marzi, and the pixies crowded around the two, waiting for them to answer.

"I...kinda got...shot," Peter told them. At their shocked and worried reactions, Peter quickly explained about what happened.

"No do that again!" Marzi scolded. She then grabbed Peter around the waist and hugged him hard. Peter winced as he felt the sting at his side.

"Easy, Marzi!" he said. "It may be completely healed, but it's still tender."

"Maybe you'll be more carefull, then," Petra said. Then, she tenderly touched Peter's cheek. "I found you once, my brother. I don't want to lose you again."

After a quick supper and story, everyone went to bed early. Forgiveness is quickly given in Peter's band, and Amy tucked all her "children" into the giant bed. After seeing to Petra, Amy and Peter took Marzi to their room, and laid in the bed. Marzi lay between them, having been berift of Peter and Amy for the past five days.

Peter and Amy gazed at each other over the sleeping child. Everything Peter had wanted to say came back to him. He said it all with four little words.

"I love you, Amy."

And Amy answered him.

"I love you, too, Peter."

* * *

I don't know whether or not what Amy did really works, but it does in Neverland.

Next: Chapter 16: Popcorn Party. Amy decides to throw a popcorn party, but needs to take a trip to the "real world" to get the popcorn. But what if someone recognizes her?


	16. Popcorn Party

Chapter 16: Popcorn Party

"I was thinking of making some popcorn and having a popcorn party," Amy announced one day. Peter and the boys gathered around her, the pixies fluttering around their companions. Marzi stood in front of Peter, holding his hands.

"'Popcorn'?" Peter asked. "Where are you going to get it?"

"Well, I still have some money from the 'real world', so we could go to a store somewhere in California and get some."

"Well," Peter thought aloud, "if you know where to get the popcorn, I'll go with you."

Amy looked at Peter, dressed as he always was in green, his elf ears poking out from his sunset hair, and tan "pixie shoes" on his feet. And the dagger at his belt.

"Well...no offence, Peter, but _that_ is not the look of your average twelve year old boy," Amy gestured with her hand to indicate his clothes.

"What's wrong with the way I dress?" he frowned, looking down at his attire.

"Nothing," Amy replied. "How about this: Why don't we see if you can pass as a _normal_ boy?"

"'_Normal_'?" Peter eyed her questioningly. "Me?"

"I _know_ you aren't a normal boy, Peter," Amy replied. "But if you _had_ to, could you pretend to be a normal boy, and make those around you _believe_ you were just a regular kid?"

"I can do _anything_!" Peter insisted. "And we've got the clothes to do it with, too!"

Nibs, Slightly, and Cubby drug out a large chest and openned it up. Inside, was piles of clothes from almost every century and decade possible. Peter rummaged around in the chest and brought out several items of clothing. Then, he went to his room to change his clothes.

When Peter came out, he wore a green baseball cap, a green t-shirt, blue jeans with a brown belt, white socks, and a pair of red sneakers. His hair was combed over his ears, hiding the pointed tips. To anyone who did not know him, Peter looked as ordinary as the next boy.

"Very nice, Peter!" Amy commented. He grinned his thanks, then began to remove his dagger and sheath from his regular belt, intending to transfer them to his new belt.

"Leave the knife here, Peter," Amy said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Weapons are not a good idea in the real world," she answered. "Especially in a store. Anyone sees that dagger, the first thing they'll think of is that you're there to rob the place."

"I'd _never_ do that!" Peter protested.

"I know you wouldn't, but people out there don't. Best to simply leave the knife at home. And besides," she gave him a smile, "I don't have enough money for bail if you land in jail."

"Okay," Peter laughed. "You've made your point. I won't take my dagger with me."

"Thank you," Amy smiled back. "Now, dearest, if you are ready, we need to go."

"Okay. See you guys later." Peter, Amy, and Tinker Bell left the underground house and made their way to the "real world".

*~*~*

It was nearly daybreak when they arrived in a small town in California. Amy and Peter landed in a small forest, well-hidden from vehicles passing by on the nearby road.

"We'll have to stay here until this afternoon," Amy told her companions. "It may be the time of year when kids are in school, and if we show up at the store too early, people may get suspecious."

"Okay," Peter agreed. "But what will we do in the meantime? Being in one place for hours is boring."

"Well, I could tell you a story from my school days. Though, how such a tale stacks up to _your_ wonderful adventures, I don't know."

"It will be just as wonderful," Peter smiled at her. He watched as she checked her pink wallet to count the money she had.

"Let's see...after saving up over several months, what little money I didn't spend on food and other things, I have now a grand total of...three hundred dollars! This is months and months and months of saving my change after expenses, of course."

"Of course," Peter smiled.

"Well, we'd better sit down," she said, removing her backpack. "It'll be a long wait." Both sat down on a fallen log to wait until the afternoon.

They filled the time with stories and talk. Tinker Bell was hidden in Amy's backpack, which was open enough to give her air. Every once in a while, she would jingle, letting them know her opinion on whatever they were talking about.

At noon, they had their lunch, which Amy had packed in her backpack. Then, there was more talk to finish off the two or three hours that were left until they could enter the store like normal kids.

Finally, however, the time came to go to the store. Amy slipped her backpack on her back, and boy and girl walked toward the store.

The store was a small convience store, where travelers could go in and get things they forgot, and the regualar grocery stores were closed.

Peter and Amy wandered the asiles, where Amy picked out several bags of popcorn, a couple of bottles of popcorn seasoning, some candy for a treat, and a bottle each of chocolate and strawberry syrup for the poe-poe --or milk-- the boys drank. She also got some emergency items, including a new first aid kit.

Peter, meanwhile, had gone to investigate something that had caught his eye, and then came back, asking Amy for some quarters.

"Sure," she replied, fishing some out of her pocket and giving them to him. "But why?"

"I found something to play," he grinned. She watched as the boy returned from the direction he had come. Amy just shrugged, and went to pay for her purchaces. She then went to look for him.

She found Peter where he loved to be --namely, the center of attention. He stood before a video game machine, he feet apart and his eyes focused on the screen in front of him. Several kids --both boys and girls-- stood around the game, watching him play.

Beside him was another boy, apparently his opponent for the game. The boy was a little taller than Peter, with light-brown hair. He wore the typical t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers as he and Peter tested their skill at the game.

When she managed to catch the name of the game, Amy saw that the machine read "Jurassic Park III". That meant that Peter and the other boy was using light guns to "shoot" at computer-generated dinosaurs. As she approached, Amy could hear the boys getting into the game, pretending to be partners in fighting the huge creatures running amok in the imaginary park.

"These raptors are everywhere!" the taller boy exclaimed. He shot at a man-sized dinosaur leaping towards them on the screen.

"I know, Jake!" Peter answered, managing to "kill" two of the monsters as they charged the two players.

"Don't forget to reload, Pete!" Jake commented, pausing a moment to point his weapon at the ground and pulling the trigger. This "reloaded" the virtual gun.

"Right!" Peter replie, doing the same.

Amy smiled to herself. As he often did when telling a story, Peter was getting into the action of the tale. Both he and Jake now "told" the story of their heroics as defenders against the onslaught of the prehistoric monsters.

Soon, however, the game was over as the boys defeated the final level. When the last credit had finished rolling and the screen went blank to reset the game for the next players, Peter and Jake grinned at each other. At the exact same moment, they holstered the guns in their spots in front of the game.

Their audience applauded the performance. Peter and Jake said their goodbyes, for Peter and Amy had to get home. Their friends were waiting for a popcorn party.

Amy glanced at the screen, which was showing the high scores. Her eyes went wide, but she did not say anything. She wondered what anyone else who saw it would think.

The name beside the extremely high score was "PeterPan".

*~*~*

As Amy prepared the popcorn for the party, Peter retold the "tale" of the game he had played with Jake, relating the story with his own sense of style and flair. The boys trembled in fear and excitement as their leader discribed the giant monsters and how the creatures attacked the two players.

"I wonder what Jake and the others will think when they see the name next to the highest score," Amy commented, pouring the popped corn into a large bowl, then prepared another batch of the fluffy treat.

"Why?" Nibs asked.

"Yeah, why?" Cubby put in.

"He put his own name on the score. How do you think that's going to look?"

"Let them wonder," Peter smiled. He gave her a kiss as he took a handfull of popcorn from the bowl and started eatting it.

Amy just shook her head as she served the refreshments and the popcorn party got underway. Peter Pan did things his _own_ way, with his _own_ style. It was what made him Peter Pan.

And Amy was glad of it.

* * *

Next: Chapter 17: Diaries. Peter and Amy write in their journals, and their thoughts and feelings about each other are revealed.


	17. Diaries

Chapter 17: Diaries

Amy and Peter had some time to themselves when the boys were put to bed. Little Marzi was also in bed, confident that Peter and Amy would be in bed soon.

Right now, both Peter and Amy were writing in their journals. Amy had bought a journal each for Peter, Petra, and herself. Petra was in her room, writing in her book, while Peter and Amy were sitting at the table in the main room to do _their_ writing.

_Dear Diary,_ Amy's entry began.

_Peter is so very _sweet_! I woke up this morning with a headache, and he told me to just rest, and _he'd_ take care of things today! He gave me a kiss and a smile, then picked up Marzi and took her in the other room._ _I slept for hours, and the headache went away. I got up and entered the main room of the house. Peter had some food set out for me, and a note:_

**_Amy,_**

**_Decided to take everyone on an outing so that you could get some rest. Here's something for you to eat. Please come and join us when --and if-- you feel like it._**

**_Love,  
Peter_**

_How very sweet of Peter! I noticed, however, that he had forgotten to put down _where_ he and the others went. I ate the food, then flew out to see if I could find them._

Meanwhile, Peter began his _own_ journal thusly:

_Hi, Diary!_

_Amy's head hurt when she woke up this morning, so I let her rest and took Marzi, Petra, the boys, and the pixies with me to the meadow. I know I should have had Dusty stay with her, but Amy said a nap would do just as good. So I let her sleep in._

_She found us in the meadow, where we were playing tag. (I had forgotten to tell her where we were going...) We were _all_ happy to see her. I flew up to meet her when she arrived. Then, we played games awhile, until it was time to go home. Oddly enough, we began sleeping during the nighttime after Amy arrived. We used to sleep whenever we wanted. Oh, well. Small price to pay for Amy's love and company._

As Peter was writing, something soft rubbed against his leg. He looked down and smiled. Tiger. When he arrived, Amy's golden-striped pet had only been a kitten. But now, Tiger was a full-grown cat!

Tiger stopped rubbing Peter's leg, and jumped onto his lap. Then, the cat concluded his trip by jumping upon the table and sitting down --right on the page where Peter was writing!.

Amy hid a giggle as the red-haired boy attempted to deal with this intrution into his private thoughts. First, Peter simply lifted the cat off the book and set it down on the floor. Tiger simply climbed right back up and sat down on the page again. Peter repeated the action, and Tiger would hop right back on the page again. Peter did this several times, with the same results.

_Tiger has become a family pet,_ Amy continued to write. _Petra, Marzi, and the boys play with him a lot, but they don't mess with him. Not since he gained the power to become a giant, winged golden tiger. Tiger pretty much has the run of the underground house, even going into Peter and Petra's private rooms._

Peter lifted the cat into his arms and scratched it behind the ears, trying to think of a way to distract Tiger so that he could continue writing. A quick glance at a corner, and Peter gave one of his mischievious grins.

"Tiger," he said, "if you look over there, you _might_ find a mouse. Why don't you go chase it?"

_Good try, Peter,_ Amy thought. Tiger just blinked at the boy, then lept from his arms and curled back up on Peter's journal and went back to sleep.

Peter folded his arms and "hmphed" as he glared at the dozing feline. Amy could not help but giggle at this. Feeling sorry for Peter, she got out Tiger's favorite toy: A cloth "mouse" filled with catnip. Amy waved the "mouse" in front Tiger, and the smell of the catnip lured the cat away from Peter's book. As soon as Tiger was clear of the journal, Peter grabbed it up. Amy then put the "mouse' down on the bare table, and the cat curled itself around the toy and went back to sleep, purring contentedly.

"Thanks," Peter smiled at Amy. She smiled back at him, then continued with her writing. Peter also got back to _his_ writing.

_Amy is clever,_ Peter wrote. _And I don't just mean with the cat! She knows how to stretch food supplies, as well as how to trick Hook. And she tells stories like you'd never believe! Alhtough,_ Peter paused with a slight frown, _none of the stories she tells has _me_ in them. Still, her stories are works of wonder._

Amy thought about her relationship with Peter. There was no doubt about it: They _loved_ each other very much. Their relationship could never be physical, but that did not matter. It was how they felt about each other that counted.

Amy yawned and stretched. It had been a long --but nice-- day, and she was tired. She closed her journal, stood up, and picked the book up from the table. She looked at Peter.

"I'm ready for bed. How about you?"

"Yeah," he yawned. "I'm ready, too." He closed his book and rose to follow her to their room, his journal in his hand. In their bedroom, Peter and Amy placed the diaries in their hiding places, then turned to their bed.

Peter had switched back to permenantly sleeping in the bed with Marzi and Amy weeks ago. It seemed a better arrangement than him in his hammock, and the two girls in the bed. And with all the storms they had been haveing lately, he was sharing the bed with them to keep Marzi calm, anyway.

"Good night, Amy," he said softly. He kissed her on the cheek, then gave the sleeping Marzi a kiss on her forhead.

"Good night, Peter," Amy answered. He was already asleep, but Amy returned his kiss anyway, brushing her lips to his cheek. Then, she snuggled close to Marzi, putting her arm around the small girl, protectively.

In his sleep, Peter placed his arm around both girls. The three of them slept thus, quietly, as the household finally settled down to sleep.

* * *

Next: The Croc Returns. In _Peter Pan II: Return to Neverland_, Captain Hook mentions "ridding himself of the Crocodile". That does _not_ mean that Hook killed the Croc. What if it returned to resume it's search for Hook, and what happens if it runs into the Octopus?


	18. Return of the Croc

Chapter 18: Return of the Croc

The Lost Children were taking their delayed picnic trip to Mermaid Lagoon. The picnic with the mermaids had been postponed, due to the hatching of Marzi's magic egg into the child's very own pixie.

Now, they were spending the day with the mermaids. The children were all dressed in their swimsuits, swimming and having fun with the fish girls, before they were to eat. Peter and Amy were in the water at the moment, giving Marzi her very _first_ swimming lesson. The little girl kicked her legs as she attempted to move through the water.

"That's it, Marzi!" Peter smiled encouragingly. "You're doin' it!"

Marzi giggled as she splashed about, moving through the water of the lagoon. Peter and Amy stayed beside her, watching over her, and making sure nothing happened to the child.

From nearby rocks, the mermaids watched the three of them, mixed feelings stirring inside. Like Tinkerbell, their hearts melted when they looked at Marzi. Such a small child, who clung to Peter at every little fright. No threat there, they decided.

Amy, however, was another story. The girl seemed to share more than just friendship with the Eternal Youth. Much more. And --just like with Wendy, Jane, and the countless other "mothers" before and after them-- the mermaids burned with jealously over Amy Rhines.

"I tired," Marzi said, swimming over to Peter and Amy. She threw her arms around Peter's neck and hugged him in the water, trusting that he would hold her and take her back to land.

"Okay, Marzi," Peter smiled. "Enough of a lesson for now." The three of them swam back to the bank, where the picnic was waiting for them. Tink, Dusty, and Eos was busy keeping the insects away from the food while the humans played in the water. Tiger was curled up on a bed of moss, sound asleep.

Nearby, also in the lagoon, Petra and the Lost Boys were swimming and playing in the water. They played ball with bubbles, and dived for underwater treasure.

"Time to eat!" Amy yelled from the bank. At the shout, Petra and the boys cheered and swam back to shore, their games forgotten. In seconds, they were all seated around the cloth, ready to eat.

The mermaids had their _own_ feast, of food that _they_ could eat. But they shared the children's company, talking with them as they would friends.

From out of narrowed eyes, they watched as Peter prepared Amy's plate, while the girl was busy with plates for the boys. When she turned to fix her _own_ food, Amy recieved a surprise. She thanked Peter with a smile and a kiss to the cheek.

"He acts as if he's _married_ to her!" the blonde mermaid whispered to the others.

"How do we know they _aren't_?" the redhead whispered back.

"They're too young!" the burnette replied.

"Since when has _that_ ever stopped Peter?" the blonde whispered enviously.

While the mermaids continued to speak friendily with the children, they whispered and gossiped among themselves about Peter and Amy.

When the food was done, the boys started running back to the water. Amy quickly stopped them.

"Sorry, guys," she said. "But it's not safe to go back into the water after eatting. You need to wait an hour or two. _Then_ you can go back in."

"Awww...." the boys pouted, hoping she would allow them to go swimming anyway. No such luck.

"Amy's right, men!" Peter added. "Just come on back."

"How about a short nap?" Amy suggested. "Rest for awhile after that big lunch."

"Good idea!" Peter grinned. "Besides," he added, looking at a yawning Marzi, "I think Marzi wants to take a nap."

With a little coaxing, the boys redressed themselves in their fur clothes, so that they could keep warm while laying in the grass. Slightly, Tootles, and the Twins balanced themselves on the bushy tails of their animal pelts. Nibs and Cubby --with short tails-- made do on their stomachs. The Lost Boys formed a ring around the picnic cloth, which served as a sleeping blanket for Peter, Petra, Marzi, and Amy. The pixies flew to Tiger and used the cat for a soft, furry bed.

The mermaids gasped, scandalized, when they saw Peter and Amy lying together, even though little Marzi was right between them. The children, oblivous to the mermaids' outrage, fell right to sleep.

*~*~*

On the _Jolly Roger_, other eyes were watching the children. Very _sinister_ eyes, gazing through the spyglass.

"Odd bobkins'!" Captain Hook exclaimed. "That brash rake and brazen strumpet are actually laying abed with each other!"

"A...a...are you s...s...sure, Cap'n?" Smee asked. The bo'sun looked worriedly in the same direction, although unable to see what the man with the hook was seeing.

"As sure as you're a bumbling fool, Smee!" Hook growled. "At least there seems to be something between them."

"What is it, Cap'n?" Smee asked. He seemed relieved that the boy and girl was not in physical contact with one another.

"It's a..." Hook focused the spyglass to get a clearer veiw, "...a...little girl," he finished in wonder.

"A gittle lirl...uh...little girl?!?" the bo'sun stammered.

"Yesss..." Hook hissed. "Could it be that the child is the offspring of Pan and that Rhines girl?"

"I don't see how, Cap'n," Smee replied. "Peter and Amy don't look like they're old enough for it. And besides," the bo'sun added, "Peter doesn't know what romance is. He barely knows what a 'kiss' is."

"That's true," Hook thought aloud. "But then why are they lying together as if they were lovers?"

Captain Hook and the pirates pondered this strange discovery, unware that things were about the change in Neverland.

*~*~*

The figure moved through the water toward Neverland, intent on reaching the magical island. It was long, and green, with eyes floating above the water to watch where it was going. It sustained itself on fish as it traveled. Aside from these little fishing trips for food, the creature kept right on course.

The creature was a large crocodile, bigger then most, with an appetite for most living things smaller than itself. It also had a desire for one piece of meat in particular: The pirate captain, James Hook.

There was one thing that seperated this crocodile from all others. From within the creature's stomach came a sound muffled by layers of muscle, skin, and scales, but still identifible, nevertheless.

It was the tick-tock of a clock.

*~*~*

The air of Mermaid's Lagoon became chill, the sky, dark. The mermaids recognized the change as the warning sign of the coming of Captain Hook. With cries of, "Hook!", the mermaids dived into the water, leaving Peter and the others to deal with the pirate threat.

Peter felt a shadow fall over them, and immedantly sprang to his feet, his dagger in his hand, a warning crow waking the others. Instantly, the children were up and armed.

Hook was even _more_ outraged when he saw that the four humans in the center of the Lost Boys were in their swimclothes. Peter was only in a pair of shorts, his bare chest still wet with sea water.

"Get outta here, Codfish!" Peter growled. He hated being caught off guard, especially when he was so undressed, as he was.

"Explain something to me, Pan," Hook said evenly. "Explain that child," he gestured with his hook at Marzi, who clung to Amy. Petra was beside them, her katana blade drawn. "And why you and the Rhines girl were sleeping together."

"Petra and I found Marzi on the beach. We took her in to live with us. Later, Tink and I went and got Amy to be a mother for us. Amy has no parents, now, and she's here to stay. As for what we were doing: That's _our_ business, not yours."

Hook nearly backhanded Peter with his hook-hand, if the boy handed backed out of the way, leaving the iron hand to cleave empty air. The pirate captain growled and was about to press the issue further, when a familier sound reached their ears. A sound they had not heard for many years.

"_**Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...**_"

Hook turned white with fear when he heard that hated sound. He began to shake in his boots, his sword and hook forgotten. And the sound was coming closer.

"_**Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...**_"

"S...s...s...meeeeeee....?" Hook's teeth chattered in fright.

"The Crocodile!" Peter shouted the warning. Intantly grabbing Tiger, he took to the air, followed by the rest of the children.

"But how?" Amy asked. "I thought Hook _killed_ it!"

"N...n...n...no," Smee answered. "The Cap'n o...o...only lost 'em out a s...s...sea. W...w...when we f...f...found our w...w...way back to...to...to Never...land, we thought we w...w...were rid o' the...the...the Croc!"

"Apparently not!" Slighty answered.

"_**Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...**_"

Now, the dreaded animal showed itself. The Croc was just and huge, just and frightening as Hook remembered. And the sound of the clock was just as heartstopping. As soon as the beast saw the pirate captain, it licked its lips, gave a big grin, and made a bee-line toward the frightened pirate.

Hook and his pirates could not leave fast enough. It took one second to reach the longboat, another second to start rowwing. In giant leaps and bounds over the water, the pirates reached the great ship, and was aboard before five minutes were up. And right behind them came the crocodile, ready to continue its stalking of Captain Hook that it had left off so long ago.

"_**Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...**_" the sound of the ticking clock faded as the crocodile followed the pirates.

"I wonder how the Croc found its way back to Neverland," Petra said aloud.

"It's a creature of Neverland," Peter explained. "No being of Neverland can lose its way. There is _always_ a way for a Neverlander to return home. It just took a little time for the Croc to find its way."

"A 'little time'?" Slightly laughed. "When did we last see it? Before what Jane called 'World War Two', I think."

"Let's get back home," Amy said.

"Okay," Peter agreed. "Let's gather up our stuff and go."

The children swooped down and cleaned up their picnic. Then, they headed toward the hidden, underground home.

"I wonder what the Octopuss is going to make of the Croc," Peter said aloud.

"That's right!" Petra grinned. "The Octopuss is after Hook for lunch, too."

"The food fight of the century!" Amy laughed. The children joined in the laughter as the continued on.

*~*~*

On the _Jolly Roger_, Captain Hook shivered under the covers of his bed, his terror plain. Now, not only did he have to worry about that eight-legged monstrocity that loved to hug him every chance it got, but that saw-toothed amphibian had returned to make his life miserable all over again.

All Hook could hear all night was the sound of a clock, circling around and around the ship, waiting for him to make a wrong move.

"_**Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock...**_"

* * *

Next: Neverland Christmas. The Lost Children share the Holidays together. The "Christmas Episode", as it were. ^_^


	19. Neverland Christmas

Chapter 19: Neverland Christmas

Tonight was Christmas Eve in Neverland. Peter and his band were putting the last touches of decorations on the large tree they had set up in the underground house. Here and there, glittering ornaments sparkled like gemstones on the prickly, green branches of the fir, accented by drapes of shining, tinsel garlands of silver and gold. A light dusting of pixie dust from the three resident pixies gave the tree its glowing lights.

In the kitchen area of the house, Amy and Petra was busy making Christmas dinner for the next day. The turkey was already cooked, and would only needed to be heated up tomorrow. The vegtables would be left to be fixed last the next day. Right now, however, the girls were making the pies, cakes, and cookies that would be served for dessert --provided the treats could _survive_ the Lost Boys until tomorrow, that is.

The presents were all under the tree, except for one. Peter had not found anything for Amy. He was not sure what to get for her. Hook's treasure would not please her, he knew. It had to be something _special_. But what? That was what concerned Peter.

He was trying to think of something, when Marzi came up to him with a golden star for the top. Peter smiled at his little Lost Girl, and picked her up. True, Marzi could have _flown_ up by herself, but Peter liked the idea of flying up with the child and holding her while she fixed the star on the tree. It reminded him of a something he did long ago, when Danny was a little boy, and it was Christmastime.

Marzi fixed the star to the treetop just fine, then Peter floated down with her. Tinkerbell also seemed to remember that Christmas in London so long ago, for she flew to the star and covered it with her pixie dust, causing it to glow brightly.

The smell of the cooking sweets drew the children toward the kitchen area, and soon, the boys and Marzi were crowding around the girls, begging for samples, or to lick the bowls and spoons.

Peter took the distraction this provided as an oppertunity to sneak into his room and dress in his winter clothes. He knew of a place to start looking for Amy's present, and he was going to need the warmer clothes.

*~*~*

The Ice Kingdom was vast, caverns of cold, white walls of ice and snow, glittering occationally with colorfull crystals. He _could_ take these, if he wished, but Amy would not want stolen jewels for a gift. He would ask Queen Crystal of the Ice Kingdom for permission to take the gems. Then, the gift would be acceptable.

He rounded a corner in one cavern, and came upon a beautiful young woman battling for her life. The woman was dressed in a long dress made of icy thread, and wore a crown of ice on her head. Her skin was as white as snow, and her hair was shimmery as ice. Her eyes were large and bright blue. In her hand, she weilded an ice scepter, from which waves of cold were emitted, aimed at her enemies.

The creatures that the woman were fighting were large, with long, white fur, and had faces that were between that of a monkey and a dog in appearence. The creatures carried clubs made of icicles as they advanced on the woman. Those hit by the beams of cold were frozen solid in tombs of ice.

"Queen Crystal!" Peter cried, unsheathing his dagger and flying to her rescue. He dragged his dagger across the bases of the ice stalagmites hanging over the creatures. The blade --the hardest forged in all of Neverland-- cut the ice easily, causing the huge ice structures to fall. The creatures scattered to escape the stalagmites. They then took one look at Peter, then retreated into the darkness of the ice caves.

Peter sheathed his dagger and flew to help the queen to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes, my sweet one," Queen Crystal answered, her voice tinkling like ice. "Thank you."

"What _were_ they?"

"Snow Orcs," she answered. "They live in the darker parts of the Ice Caves. They have only recently began showing themselves, although _why_, I do not know."

"Prehaps they want your kingdom," Peter suggested. Although, who would want to dethrone such a good queen, he did not know.

"That is possible," she admitted. "But they seem to be afraid of you."

"I cann't stay with you," Peter said, afraid of what she was about to suggest. "I have others I must take care of. But those Snow Orcs don't seem so smart. I have an idea..."

Peter Pan could do just about anything, and was even quite an artist. Now, he took a block of ice, created by an ice stalagmite that had fallen during the battle, and set it up near Queen Crystal's throne. With his dagger, the eternal boy carved out a perfect statue of himself, then polishing it to such perfection that no dagger mark could be found on the figure. It was as if it had been molded from Peter's own body, it was so perfect!

"He's _beautiful_!" Queen Crystal exclaimed. "If only he was _real_!"

Peter smiled saddly at the woman. She was such a kindly lady, and so very lonely. He wished that he could give her the child she so desperatly wanted. But he, himself, could not stay. Already, he was showing signs of the cold getting to him, even while in his winter clothes. He would have to go soon.

"Oh!" he cried. "I almost forgot my orginal reason for my visit. I wanted to find a gift for my friend, Amy. You see, it's Christmas, and I wanted something special, and I thought you might know of something I could give her and..."

"Say no more, dear one," the queen smiled. "You have given me more than I have ever recieved." She brought out a pendent with a star-shaped crystal that glittered like ice. "Give this to your friend. The crystal will allow her to create ice objects whenever she needs them. She will not be affected by the cold of the objects she creates, so she can handle them safely."

"Thank you, your majasty!" Peter grinned. He gave her a quick hug, then took the necklace.

"And to you, my sweet little warrior, I give a wish. Make any wish you want, and it will be granted."

"Me? But I..."

"Did you think that I would allow you to go without giving _you_ something, dear one?" she smiled.

"In that case," Peter said, cocking his head to one side, as if thinking. "I wish...I wish...I wish that the ice statue of me were a real, live boy to be your son!" he finsihed at last.

As soon as the words were spoken, the ice statue began to move. Its eyes opened, revealing pupils of deep blue. The ice boy's skin and hair took on the same tones as Queen Crystal's, and his clothes became just as shimmery and as flowing as her own. The boy examimed himself, then turned toward the queen.

"Hello, Mother," he said. Crystal's hands flew up to her cover her mouth.

"Peter...why?" she whispered.

"So you won't be alone anymore," he answered. "My gift to you."

"Mother," the ice boy asked. "What's my name?"

"Icestar," she answered softly. "Icestar is your name."

"That's a great name...Icestar," Peter smiled.

"Thank you, Peter," Queen Crystal whispered through her tears of joy.

"Merry Christmas, Queen Crystal. And, Happy Birthday, Icestar." With that, Peter left the Ice Kingdom, leaving the new mother and son in peace.

*~*~*

On Christmas morning, the children awoke to a hot breakfast, than went right to work on unwrapping their presents. Toys and other gifts were revealed, and everyone was happy all around with what they got. Soon, the children where playing with their new toys.

Peter handed Amy a box with her gift. Carefully, she openned it, her eyes widening as she saw the glittering object that lay within.

Peter grinned, pleased that she liked his gift. He removed it from the box and placed it around her neck. As soon as he did so, Amy threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"It's beautiful, Peter!" she cried. "Where'd you'd get it?"

"The Ice Kingdom," he answered. "Very long story."

Amy then looked up. She giggled.

"What?" he asked, giving her a puzzled frown.

"Missletoe," she answered.

"'Missletoe'?" he repeated. "What does that mean?" He looked up and saw the small plant with white berries. He wondered why it was there, for the berries were quite poisonous.

"It's a tradition, Peter, that if a male and a female is caught under the missletoe, they have to kiss," Amy explained.

"They do?"

"Uh, huh."

"Well, if that's the tradition..." Peter blushed a little. "Could I..." he whispered in her ear.

"Well...since it's Chirstmas...alright," she smiled.

Peter smiled. Then, he bent forward and very gently pressed his lips to hers. They held the kiss for only a moment, then pulled apart. They gave each other a gentle smile.

"Merry Christmas, Amy," Peter said.

"Merry Christmas, Peter Pan," Amy replied. She laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying his warmth and companionship.

Outside, though they could not see him, was a perfect, living ice statue of Peter Pan.

"Merry Christmas, Everyone," Icestar smiled as he stared at Hangman's Tree, as if seeing into the underground house.

* * *

The references to Peter and Tink's Christmas in London with Wendy, Jane, and Danny are in my Peter & Jane fic, also somewhere here at FanFiction.Net, here in the Peter Pan section.

Next: Chapter 20: Amy's Magic. An accident with the Dark Magician Girl card infuses Amy with the card's magic. Suddenly, Amy is capable of casting magical spells. But will the magic abandon her when she needs it the most?


	20. Amy's Magic

Chapter 20: Amy's Magic

The battle began like a thousand other battles with Captain Hook and his pirates: Peter, Petra, and the Lost Boys would play one of their many pranks on the pirates, and the duels would begin. Amy and Marzi would watch from the relative safty of the sky as the two groups would have at it, Eos fluttering beside Marzi. Tinker Bell would join Peter in his battle, while Dusty would be fretting away, worrying about how much Healing Dust would be needed afterward.

Amy often supplied aid with her Duel Monsters deck, magically enhanced by Eos' pixie magic. A well-timed Block Attack had more than once saved the lives of Peter or one or the others. Once, when Hook wounded Peter, Amy used a Share the Pain Magic Card on the evil captain, and Hook developed the same, exact wound on his _own_ body. A dose of Red Medicine healed Peter of _his_ wound.

Amy even equipted the Lost Children with magic weapons from the deck. She gave Petra both the Cyber Sheild and the Electro-Whip, while she gave Peter the Lightning Blade. The Lost Boys were given other weapons. And she used Rain of Mercy to heal them when they needed it. Of course, the Rain also healed the pirates, as well, but that could not be helped.

Amy refrained from using the Monster Cards, mainly because Peter prefered not to have any other help than that from the Lost Children. He felt that it would spoil the fun. Still, Amy longed to call renforcements from her deck. Duel Monsters was more than just Magic and Trap Cards, after all.

She drew a very special card. The image was of a very pretty blonde girl, dressed in a blue and pink dress and hat that looked very much like the Dark Magician's purple costume. She carried a long, blue staff, with a gold, curled head. She was also weaker than the Dark Magician. While the male magician had an Attack of 2500, this female version only had an Attack of 2000. But, she had a special ability. For every Dark Magician in the discard pile --or "Graveyard"-- the girl would gain 300 Attack points. Even two such Dark Magicians in the "Graveyard" would give her 2600 Attack points.

This female Dark Magician's name? The Dark Magician _Girl_ --What else?

_Peter's seen the Dark Magician,_ Amy thought. _But not the Dark Magician _Girl_. Let's see what he thinks of _her_!_ With that thought, Amy held the card aloft and shouted out the card's name, loud and clear.

"_**DARK MAGICIAN GIRL!**_" she shouted. The card glowed, the first sign that the magic was working, and the Monster on the card was going to come to life.

_Amy's calling on a Monster?_ Peter thought in surprise. _And it's the Dark Magician, too! Doesn't she trust me to...beat...Hook..._ his thoughts trailed off. It was then that the last word hit him.

Dark Magician _GIRL_. Amy had said, "Dark Magician _**GIRL**_".

Hook snarled upward when he heard the girl's voice. Calling upon another one of those accursed "Duel Monsters". He had just about enough of her and her enchanted deck of cards. The evil captain drew his flintlock pistol, aimed it high in the air toward the girl, and fired.

"**_AMY!_**" Peter cried in alarm. "_**LOOK OUT!**_" Frozen in fear for his love, the boy could only watch in horror as the musketball hurtled toward Amy.

The Lost Boys gasped, covering their eyes. Tinkerbell, Dusty, and Eos flew down to attack Hook. Maybe they could not save Amy, but maybe they could avenge her death.

Meanwhile, the Dark Magician Girl had nearly finished materalizing in the air in front of Amy. At the moment that the musketball hit the air where the white light silhouette of the magical girl was still appearing, the force of the small, lead ball pushed the semi-solid form into Amy. There was a flash of brilliant, sparkling light, temporarily blinding everyone in the area.

When everyone could see again, the first thing they did was look toward where they last saw Amy, each anxious to see what had become of the girl. As one, they gasped in surprise at what they saw. Oddly enough, it was Captain Hook that summed up what was going through everyone's minds.

"Odds fish!" he managed to gasp out.

Floating in the air above them was Amy, but she now wore the blue and pink costume of the Dark Magician Girl. With the staff in her hand, Amy looked herself over, amazed and bewildered at what happened.

Peter was the first to recover from the shock, relieved that his girlfriend was alive and unharmed. He flew to her side, ready to give what aid he could, and feeling a little guilty about not being able to do anything to stop Hook from shooting at her in the first place.

"Amy?" he asked, getting her attention. He gave her a sheepish smile. "Are you...okay?"

"Yes..." she answered. "I think..." She felt her new outfit. "What happened?"

"You called on a Duel Monster, and Hook shot at you," Peter explained quietly. However irritated at her he had been for calling on a Monster when he had asked her not to had been quickly forgotten in his concern for her safety. "There was a flash of light, and when it cleared, you were dressed like this." He spread his arms, indicating the costume of the Dark Magician Girl.

"It's more than the costume, Peter," Amy said quietly. She closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. "For as long as this lasts, I _am_ the Dark Magician Girl!"

Now, Amy looked down at the pirates. She barely remembered it, but _did_ recall the sound of the shot of the pistol. And Peter _did_ say that Hook had shot at her. So she _did_ have the right --just this once.

Something told the pirates that they had better be getting off the beach and back to the _Jolly Roger_. Maybe it was the way Amy's eyes had narrowed and grew angered, almost glowing red.

Amy aimed her staff at the pirates, taking aim with the golden-headed wizard-weapon. The staff began to glow, which traveled up the shaft and gathered at the head. When the golden head was glowing brightly with the magic power, she let it fly.

"_**DARK MAGIC ATTACK!**_ Amy commanded. The stored magic, glowing red, shot from the staff toward the pirates. The blast hit the ground at their feet, giving them the motivation to speed up their retreat. Soon, Hook and his men were on their way to their ship, leaving the children to their surprise victory.

Slowly, Peter and Amy landed on the ground, followed by Marzi. The children crowded around their two leaders, relieved that Amy was alive, but bewildered about the change.

"Will you be like this forever, Amy?" Nibs asked.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "When I call upon a Duel Monster, or any of the other cards, the effects last until they are no longer needed. But I've never _merged_ with a card before. It might be gone by tomorrow, it might not. I might be stuck like this forever. I just don't know."

"We'll just have to deal with it when it happens, Peter said. "Let's go home."

Amy nodded. Together, Peter and Amy led their children back to the underground house.

*~*~*

Things had been awkward that night, for Amy did not know how to turn her new powers off. She had to make dinner wearing the costume, eat while wearing the costume, and tell the night's story while wearing the costume.

In their room, Amy put Marzi to bed as usual, leaning her staff against the wall and tried to remove her hat, boots, and gloves. For some reason, the costume could not be removed, although her staff could be set aside if need be. So she simply crimbed in beside the little girl.

Peter slipped in on the other side, wondering about Amy's new transformation. How long would this last? Would he _ever_ get his Amy back?

And what if changing back was fatal?

*~*~*

When Amy awoke the next day, the first thing she did was check to see if she was still dressed as the Dark Magician Girl. To her dismay, she was. Peter and Marzi was already up and waiting for her with the rest of the Lost Children in the main room when she entered, staff in hand.

"Still a Duel Monster?" Nibs asked.

"I'm afraid so," she answered.

"We need to think this out," Petra said. "How did this happen?"

"I called on the Dark Magician Girl," Amy said.

"At the same time, Captain Hook shot at her," Peter added. "The shot hit the forming Duel Monster and pushed her into Amy. The Dark Magician Girl was not quite formed, so the two was made into one."

"Or merged," Petra put in. "So there must be a way to _un_merge them. The question is: How?"

"I'll have to look over my cards and see if I can find one," Amy said. "And it could also undo itself, like a turn-based move."

"Until then, Amy has the power of the Dark Magician Girl," Petra said. "She should take advantage of that."

"What are you thinking, sis?" Peter looked at his sister.

"We find out just what she can do with her new magic," the girl Pan answered.

*~*~*

Lined up outside, Peter threw five clay plates into the air with his usual amazing dexterity. They flew high into the air, and with each flip, Amy blasted them out of the sky with a Dark Magic attack.

"The power is all well and good," Amy said, "but I all I'm really interested in is returning to my old self. I'd rather be Amy Rhines, mother to the Lost Children, than the Dark Magician Girl."

"I second that," Peter said, putting his arm around her shoulder. He wanted his Amy back.

"It'll happen," Petra told them. "And soon, I'm sure."

"I hope so," Amy sighed. "I hope so."

*~*~*

It happened on about the third day of Amy's change. A strange creature that turned out to be some kind of a zombie appeared and began to terriorize the magical island. Nothing seemed to be able to stop it, no matter what anyone tried. Soon, Peter and the Lost Children confronted the zombie-creature.

"There's one way that might do it," Amy said. "But it's risky. First, though, the Swords of Revealing Light, to keep the creature from moving."

As she activated the card, three swords appeared from out of the sky, coming down around the zombie, and pinning it in place with their light.

"In a game, that will keep it from moving for three turns. We don't measure time in turns, but we'll still have to hurry. Now, comes the risky part, because, if it doesn't work, it could be fatal for me."

Peter and the others gasped in horror when she said that. Amy produced the Magic Box card, which pictured a pair of identical boxes.

A box appeared behind Amy, and she got into it, looking saddly at Peter. If this did not work...

As soon as the box closed, swords dropped from the sky, piercing the box from every angle, leaving barely an inch unpierced.

"_**AMY! NO!!**_" Peter cried. Twice had he experienced the fear of losing his girlfriend that week, and this was even more horrible than the first.

The box openned, and, instead of a dead Amy falling out, it was the zombie, pierced through with all the swords.

Where was Amy?

Beside the box, there appeared another one. From out of the second box came a very much alive Amy --as herself, not the Dark Magician Girl!

"_AMY_!" Peter cried happily as she floated down to them. He was the first to take her in his arms and held her to him.

"Peter..." she whispered.

"I thought I lost you forever..." he whispered back.

"We all did," Nibs sniffed.

"Yeah," Cubby said. "Let's go home.

"What about that?" Slightly asked, pointing to the zombie. The corpse fell to the ground as the boxes disappeared.

Peter watched for a moment as hynnas and vultures started coming around, waiting for them to leave.

"We'll let _them_ take care of it," he said, motioning toward the animals with his head. "Let's go home."

The family headed home, the fear of losing their mother passed, and left the scavanger animals to their work.

*~*~*

That night, after everyone was in bed, and Peter, Marzi, and Amy were in their room, the boy and girl sat on the edge of the bed, talking with each other.

"That was a big risk you took today," Peter said.

"Yes," she answered. "I told you that. But it was the only thing I could think of to do. The biggest risk was if the magic that turned me into the Dark Magician Girl would run out before the Magic Box could complete its trick. Forutunately, it didn't."

"But for one brief moment, I faced the possibility of losing you. If the box had openned, and it had been _your_ body that had been in there...I...I...I don't know what I would have done."

"You would have found a way to have gone on. You would have destroyed the zombie, then, you would have eventually gotten a new mother, for Marzi and the boys, if not for Petra and yourself."

"But nothing would be happy around here. Not for a long time."

"You're sweet, Peter," Amy smiled. She leaned over and kissed him, then laid down and went to sleep. Peter smiled, then laid down on the other side of Marzi and also went to sleep. Tomorrow would hold more surprises and more fun. Tonight, Amy was alive, and still with them, and that was all that mattered to Peter.

* * *

Next: Chapter 21: Flight Lesson: Auntie Fae, the human-sized fairy that raised Peter visits and tells the tale of Peter's first flying lesson. Inspired by the Disney Princess: My First Princess line by Fisher Price. The dolls are of the Disney Princesses when they were toddlers. Very cute. Now, if they would just make dolls of the guys, like, say, toddler Peter Pan...(hint, hint, ^_~)


End file.
